In pictures: factory agents driving steers in Kilkenny

Kilkenny Mart hosted its weekly sale of cattle on Thursday, with a flying trade for steers, in particular ones ready for direct slaughter.

The yard of almost 700 cattle witnessed a clearance rate of over 92%.

Fed cattle prices exceeded €1,800/head on a number of occasions.

Factory agents active

This was mainly driven by factory agents, who had to bid hard to get one of the 55 steers forward that weighed in at over 600kg.

This resulted in average prices for the cattle type settling at an impressive €2.30/kg.

This increased to €2.44/kg when looking at the top third of lots sold.

Charolais at the money

A top price per kilogramme of €2.49 was hit on two occasions.

First at the money was a two-year-old Charolais that weighed 740kg and sold for €1,840.

Matching it was another Charolais, this time a three-year-old that weighed 720kg and sold for €1,790.

Interest in fed Angus-cross cattle

Agents were particularly interested in fed Angus-cross cattle, with steer prices heading as high as €2.43/kg for a 610kg animal.

Top sale price for Angus came for those that exceeded 700kg, with four steers selling for over €1,800.

Short-keep steers also proved in high demand, with prices rising on average 12c/kg on the week.

This resulted in an average on par with their heavier comrades at €2.30/kg, moving up to €2.46/kg for the better-quality lots sold.

Resurgence in lighter stock

Lighter stock more suitable for summer grazing saw a resurgence due to the expected grass growth following a few wet days.

While lower numbers were forward, prices were up 42c/kg on the week for steers under 400kg.

While heifers sold well, they failed to reach the same heights their steer comrades.

This was particularly evident in heavier lots, which stood about 10c/kg back on steer prices.