Camera at the Mart: bulls break €4/kg at Elphin special weanling sale

Elphin Mart held a special weanling sale on Monday last, with a large number of cattle being sold through two rings.

Air temperatures weren’t the only hot feature at Monday’s sale, as there was also high heat in the trade for heifers and bulls.

Cattle were met with strong demand at the mart, which contributed to a 96% clearance rate.

Heifers

Heifers weighing up to 300kg averaged €806 or €2.90/kg, with nice examples of Limousin and Charolais cattle weighing 300kg breaking the €1,000 mark and selling between €1,010 (€3.36/kg) and €1,240 (€4.13/kg).

Those between 300kg and 400kg averaged €1,096 (€3.10/kg), with lots of top prices also in this weight bracket, such as a well-muscled Limousin-cross heifer weighing 375kg achieving the top heifer price as bidding slowly finished at €1,880 (€5.01/kg).

Plainer cattle are still a good trade, such as a Limousin-cross heifer weighing 325kg selling for €1,170 (€3.60/kg).

Heavier cattle weighing between 400kg and 500kg averaged slightly less at a price of €1,188 (€2.72/kg), such as a Charolais-cross heifer at 475kg selling for €1,380 (€2.91/kg).

Bulls

Weanling bulls weighing up to 300kg averaged €875 (€3.31/kg), with a Belgian Blue weighing 270kg selling for €4.63/kg at a price of €1,250.

Cattle between 300kg and 400kg averaged a little less at €1,045 (€3.05/kg), with lots of bulls securing north of €4/kg, such as a 380kg Charolais selling for an impressive €1,550 (€4.08/kg) and another weighing 320kg selling for €4.56/kg at a price of €1,460.

Bulls between 400kg and 500kg averaged €1,104 (€2.50/kg), with a 475kg Limousin-cross selling for €1,240 (€2.61/kg).

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Elphin Mart manager Kevin Caslin said: “Farmers generally wait until our second sale in August to bring out their weanlings, as it was unusual to have such large numbers on offer for the month of June.

"Current cattle prices seem to have pushed farmers to sell weanlings earlier than usual, but it seems to have paid off for the majority, as cattle achieved top prices at today's sale, especially in the bull ring, with plenty of nice cattle on offer.”