Friday last saw Donegal Town Mart host its first livestock sale under the new COVID-19 guidelines where buyers were allowed ringside.

Manus Connolly was ringside to study the trade and get the reactions of buyers, sellers and mart staff.

The mart saw 100 lots go through the ring, with cows, suckler outfits, heifers, bullocks and bulls being some of these lots.

Strong cow trade

Cows saw a strong trade. With a large number of feeding cows in the sale, the demand was for factory-fit cows, with some of these selling for up to €2.30/kg and young feeding cows very close behind.

Some of the cows going through the sale saw a demand slightly back on recent weeks, with these cows not just meeting the cut for finishing and having age against them.

“The grass scarcity in the last few weeks has upset sales, with the demand for store cattle hit,” mart manager Eimear McGuinness said.

Weanlings

Weanlings saw a demand for continental-bred calves. However, dairy-bred calves were harder to shift.

With dairy-bred stock just averaging €2/kg, the continental-type cattle were selling close to €3/kg for the top-end cattle.

Lighter heifers saw the best trade, with these selling for almost €3/kg at weights of 200kg to 300kg.

Bulls in the same weight bracket saw prices reach up to €2.15/kg.

There was a stronger demand for heavy bulls, with some of these weighing over 500kg selling for up to €2.25/kg, while bulls over 400kg sold as far as €2.40/kg.

Suckler outfits saw a continued steady trade, with some of these selling up to €1,400 and with lows of €1,150.

Buyers ringside

“We are delighted to welcome buyers back to the ringside,” Eimear said.

Speaking to some farmers outside, there was a worry that “the dealers will be back calling and blocking cattle as they had been - this will hit the trade”.

The sale saw a lot of buyers return ringside, while a few chose to stay at home and bid online.

Eimear said: “It was great to see the two working so well together and this way it allows us to maximise the customers in the mart, which will also benefit the farmer.”

In pictures

This May 2020-born Limousin bull weighed 440kg and sold for €1,040 (€2.36/kg).

This 2014-born Limousin bull weighed 1,130kg and sold for €2,140 (€1.89/kg).

This October 2020-born Aberdeen Angus bull weighed 310kg and sold for €630 (€2.03/kg).

This March 2020-born Aberdeen Angus heifer weighed 270kg and sold for €540 (€2/kg).

This December 2020-born Charolais heifer weighed 295kg and sold for €830 (€2.81/kg).

This 2011-born Charolais cow weighed 680kg and sold for €1,290 (€1.89/kg).

This 2014-born Charolais cow with her Charolais bull calf at foot sold for €1,140.

This 2016-born Limousin springer weighed 730kg and sold for €1,400.

This January 2020-born Simmental bull weighed 370kg and sold for €680 (€1.83/kg).

This 2017-born Limousin bull weighed 466kg and was sold for €1,180 (€2.53/kg).

This 2011-born Limousin cow weighed 685kg and sold for €1,110 (€1.62/kg).

This 2015-born Charolais cow weighed 660kg and sold for €1,460 (€2.21/kg).

This September 2019-born Limousin heifer weighed 430kg and sold for €1,280 (€2.97/kg).

This may 2020-born Simmental heifer weighed 316kg and sold for €710 (€2.24/kg).

This June 2020-born Limousin heifer weighed 410kg and sold for €1,040 (€2.53/kg).