With limited numbers on the ground after falling beef prices flushed out stock during late April and May, the trade for heavy cattle in local marts has picked up significantly in the last couple of weeks.
At the weekly beef sale run by South Armagh Farming Enterprises in Keady Mart last Friday, forward steers regularly achieved returns which would equate to finished beef prices well above 600p/kg.
Just 35 head were offered for sale and these were met with strong demand both ringside and online. The top-priced animal on the day was a two-year-old 880kg Charolais, which sold for £2,970 (338p/kg).
However, cattle in the 700 to 750kg bracket achieved higher prices per kg of liveweight, ranging from 348p to 371p/kg. The 371p was paid for a 725kg Charolais at £2,690. Even assuming a high killout of 60%, this equates to a final beef price of 618p/kg. At a 58% killout, it is a beef price of 640p/kg.
For those in the 650 to 700kg bracket, a number of animals achieved prices of over 370p/kg, with the top-priced animal being a 695kg Charolais at £2,700 (389p/kg).
A November 2025-born 355kg Charolais weanling sold for £1,700 (479p/kg), while a 545kg Charolais bullock made £2,220 (407p/kg) and a 14-year-old Limousin cow weighing 865kg sold for £2,450 (283p/kg).
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