All weanlings have taken a dip in price around the country’s marts this week and Carnaross was no different on Tuesday night.

While the €2.50/kg barrier was broken wholesale for quality calves over the last few weeks, it wasn’t broken often in Carnaross.

This Belgian Blue in-calf heifer due in February 2020 to the Salers bull was knocked down at €1,500.

Good-quality Charolais and Limousin bull weanlings around the 300kg mark were readily bought at €2.10/kg to €2.20/kg, a significant drop on previous weeks sales.

Lessor-quality weanlings were even easier bought, with a number of Angus and Hereford weanlings struggling to make over €1.70/kg.

Heavy bulls were also harder to shift, with a number of larger-scale buyers getting serious value on bulls over 550kg.

It’s a gamble, but at €1.80/kg to €1.90/kg, they seem good value and should leave a margin. If anybody is going to get these bulls killed, it is larger operators.

You would also have to question farmers pushing bulls into this weight to hit the weaning ring with them.

Heifers

It was a similar story in the heifer ring, with poorer-quality dairy-cross heifers an especially tough sell.

Spring 2018-born Aberdeen Angus and Hereford heifers around the 430kg mark were being sold for between €620 and €650.

This 2012-born Belgian Blue cow calving in February to a Salers bull made €1,400.

A number of good shapely Limousin heifers around the 300kg mark did manage to get into €800 or €2.60/kg.

Plainer-quality lighter heifers met with little demand, with Aberdeen Angus and Hereford heifers struggling to get into €1.60/kg to €1.70/kg.

In the suckler ring, there was huge interest in the special sale of 50 Belgian Blue-cross cows for a Co Monaghan farmer.

This Aberdeen Angus heifer, born in January 2019, weighed 285kg and sold for €530 (€1.85/kg).

Cows were a picture to look at and were all in-calf to either AI or a Salers stock bull.

They were all calving between December and March and were knocked down between €1,200 and €1,600.

A number of in-calf heifers made around the €1,500.