The marts are preparing for a surge in cows in the coming weeks, as farmers who are struggling with poor grass growth cut numbers.

Seán Dennehy of Bandon Mart said the number of cows going through sales rings had doubled over the last few weeks.

“The majority of dairy farmers are very tight on grass and are feeding bales and meal. So, a lot of those farmers are selling passengers,” Dennehy said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Any cows that are not in-calf are going.”

He maintained that beef farmers were also reducing stock numbers, with a marked increase in the numbers of forward store cattle.

David Quinn of Carnew Mart said that while increased numbers of cows were going through the sales rings, he felt many farmers were reluctant to sell until they had a herd test and had scanned the cows.

Meanwhile, the number of cows going directly to the factories for slaughter are up 32% compared to last year. Over 6,600 cows were slaughtered last week, a jump of 1,600 head on the 4,957 killed during the corresponding week in 2025.