Camera at the mart attended the weekly cattle sale in Enniskillen on Thursday last. There was a smaller showing of cattle forwarded for sale, with the lure of Balmoral Show attracting farmers, as well as the upturn in weather conditions seeing a flurry of silage and field activity being carried out.

However, the smaller entry helped to keep a firm floor in the trade for weanlings, which are benefitting from strong buyer demand for grazing cattle.

Mart manager James Johnston commented on the sale, saying that while sale numbers were down on previous weeks, there was still close to 500 animals forwarded.

Quality was good, with a big showing of Charolais and Limousin types driving the trade. He added that buyers are mostly sourcing cattle for store to beef finishers in the north and eastern sides of the province.

James also said that throughput of lighter stores has been steady throughout the spring, with more farmers selling weanlings at an earlier age than in previous years.

A limited entry of heavy bullocks sold to a peak of £1,320 for a 600kg Charolais animal, while a 610kg Limousin sold to £1,310.

Numbers of heavy cattle are tailing off, but prices are firm at 200p to 220p/kg for good-quality lots.

Midweight bullocks sold from 210p to 234p/kg for a 407kg Charolais, which made £1,070. Plainer cattle sold upwards from 190p/kg.

Lighter types were a buoyant trade, with prices of 220p to 279p/kg for good-quality continental types, with a 352kg Charolais selling to £985.Plainer cattle were a harder sell, with animals making 170p/kg to 190p/kg.

Forward heifers sold to 214p/kg for a 555kg Charolais animal, which made £1,185, with midweight animals making 192p to 240p/kg for a 450kg animal, which made £1,085.

Weanlings sold from £680 to £1,090 for a 420kg Charolais bull, with heifers making £550 to £925 for a 326kg Charolais animal.

Suckler cows sold to £1,700 for a Limousin animal with a bull calf at foot, with £1,490 paid for a Simmental cow with heifer calf.

Fat cows sold to £1,395 for an 820kg Charolais, with heavy fleshed animals making 180p to 200p/kg.