Camera at the Mart: weanling trade holding firm in Ennis

Clare Marts Ennis held its weekly sale of calves, weanlings and breeding stock on Tuesday 7 November. Despite a slight improvement in the weather this week, strong numbers still flushed out to the sale, with 677 cattle available at the weekly auction.

With a selection of buyers bidding from ringside and a lot of support from online buyers, this strong entry was met with a 96% clearance rate.

As always, there was a strong presence of suckler-bred continental cattle and although there was a little less of a bite this week, both the trade and the farmers around the ring remained positive.

A top call of €1,860 was paid for a March 2019-born Simmental-cross cow with her six-week-old bull calf at foot.

Weanling bulls in the 200kg to 300kg category were a seemingly easier sold, with Limousin-crosses selling anywhere from €2.61/kg to €3.42/kg, while Charolais-crosses in the same weight range typically secured €2.98/kg upwards to highs of €3.58/kg.

A selection of good-quality suckler-bred Angus-cross and Hereford-cross bulls sold from €2.14/kg to €2.68/kg and €2.78/kg to €3.07/kg respectively.

Weanling heifers

Weanling heifers in the same weight range secured prices almost on par with their male counterparts, as Limousin-cross heifers generally sold from €2.54/kg to €3.16/kg and Charolais-cross heifers sold from €2.68/kg to €3.46/kg.

Angus and Hereford heifers in this weight category hovered from €2.40/kg to €2.70/kg.

In the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket, traditional-bred bulls hovered at the €2.40/kg mark, while the heifers of traditional breeds stuck around the €2.20/kg mark.

Slightly easier trade

The heifer lots met a slightly easier trade, as Charolais-cross and Limousin-cross females typically sold from €2.35/kg up to €3.10/kg, while the male lots of similar weights and ages sold from €2.70/kg and surpassed €3.45/kg on more than one occasion. A number of shapely Belgian Blue-crosses sold from €2.80/kg to €3.14/kg.