The good weather has left marts quieter places this week, with both livestock and buyer numbers down.
We are entering into the two quietest months of the year for marts, with the current heatwave speeding up the drop in numbers.
The quieter rings aren’t helping the trade, with a lot of categories with a red arrow on them in our MartBids table.
Heavier cattle continue to follow factory quotes and are back by 3c to 10c/kg this week.
Top-end 600kg-plus bullocks are back 5c/kg, but are still trading at €3.05/kg. Heifers in the 500kg to 600kg bracket took the biggest hit this week, back between 11c and 16c/kg across all grades.
Weanlings
The weanling trade has also taken a hit in the last seven days. Exporters have been quieter than usual, with Turkish currency issues affecting the strength of Turkish buyers over the last two weeks.
More disruption is expected and this could have an impact on the number of weanlings being exported to Turkey until the Turkish currency stabilises again.
Numbers of weanlings being sold are very small. Weanling bulls in the 300kg to 400kg bracket are back 27c/kg this week, while top-end heifers in the same bracket are trading at €3.60/kg, back 20c/kg on last week’s prices. Poorer-quality Friesian bulls are being bought at €2/kg and under this week.
TB confusion
I had a number of calls from farmers in relation to the new TB testing regulations around buying and selling cows.
One farmer in particular had privately tested cows and calves which he was selling, thinking that this would increase the amount of customers they had around the ring.
They sold the cows 40 days after testing them and because they fell outside the 30-day pre-movement test, that means the purchaser had to TB test the cows once moved into their herd.
The new regulations state that cows of all ages and males over the age of 36 months that are moving farm to farm or through a mart must be TB tested in the last six months and:
They must also be moving from a herd that has been tested in the last six months.If they do not fulfil both these requirements, they must then be tested, either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.Animals that require a test in the 30 days after movement will be restricted immediately to the herd into which they have moved. This herd has 30 days to carry out a test on these animals.
If after 30 days the animals have not been tested, the herd that received them will be restricted. Sale of calves under six weeks of age and the purchase in of animals will be permitted.
If after another 60 days, the animals have still not been tested, the whole herd will be scheduled for a TB test. If the moved-in animal at any point is slaughtered, the restriction will be lifted, except where the herd has been listed for a full test.
This allows the opportunity for cull cows to be purchased, fed and slaughtered without incurring the cost of testing.
The good weather has left marts quieter places this week, with both livestock and buyer numbers down.
We are entering into the two quietest months of the year for marts, with the current heatwave speeding up the drop in numbers.
The quieter rings aren’t helping the trade, with a lot of categories with a red arrow on them in our MartBids table.
Heavier cattle continue to follow factory quotes and are back by 3c to 10c/kg this week.
Top-end 600kg-plus bullocks are back 5c/kg, but are still trading at €3.05/kg. Heifers in the 500kg to 600kg bracket took the biggest hit this week, back between 11c and 16c/kg across all grades.
Weanlings
The weanling trade has also taken a hit in the last seven days. Exporters have been quieter than usual, with Turkish currency issues affecting the strength of Turkish buyers over the last two weeks.
More disruption is expected and this could have an impact on the number of weanlings being exported to Turkey until the Turkish currency stabilises again.
Numbers of weanlings being sold are very small. Weanling bulls in the 300kg to 400kg bracket are back 27c/kg this week, while top-end heifers in the same bracket are trading at €3.60/kg, back 20c/kg on last week’s prices. Poorer-quality Friesian bulls are being bought at €2/kg and under this week.
TB confusion
I had a number of calls from farmers in relation to the new TB testing regulations around buying and selling cows.
One farmer in particular had privately tested cows and calves which he was selling, thinking that this would increase the amount of customers they had around the ring.
They sold the cows 40 days after testing them and because they fell outside the 30-day pre-movement test, that means the purchaser had to TB test the cows once moved into their herd.
The new regulations state that cows of all ages and males over the age of 36 months that are moving farm to farm or through a mart must be TB tested in the last six months and:
They must also be moving from a herd that has been tested in the last six months.If they do not fulfil both these requirements, they must then be tested, either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.Animals that require a test in the 30 days after movement will be restricted immediately to the herd into which they have moved. This herd has 30 days to carry out a test on these animals.
If after 30 days the animals have not been tested, the herd that received them will be restricted. Sale of calves under six weeks of age and the purchase in of animals will be permitted.
If after another 60 days, the animals have still not been tested, the whole herd will be scheduled for a TB test. If the moved-in animal at any point is slaughtered, the restriction will be lifted, except where the herd has been listed for a full test.
This allows the opportunity for cull cows to be purchased, fed and slaughtered without incurring the cost of testing.
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