Camera at the Mart: numbers falling but trade remains strong in Corrin

With cattle numbers beginning to fall off, trade remains steady and buyers have stayed active at ringsides around the country this week and Cork Marts Corrin was no different for its weekly sale on Tuesday 21 May.

Despite being a smaller sale than the weeks previous, strong prices were consistent throughout the day.

The cow trade for lighter, plainer cows weighing from 300kg to 400kg was steady, with Friesian cows averaging €1.10/kg and this average rose to €1.55/kg for some of the better cows in this category.

In the 400kg to 500kg weight range, this average rose to €1.44/kg, with a top price of €2.00/kg recorded for a Friesian cow weighing 470kg.

The heavier cows weighing from 500kg to 600kg were better again, with Friesian-crosses averaging almost €2.10/kg.

Some of the high fliers in this category saw a cow weighing 535kg sell for €1,340 (€2.50/kg) and another weighing 545kg selling for €1,350 (€2.48/kg).

Cows from 600kg to 700kg were a little bit lighter on the ground, but were still in demand, with one Limousin cow weighing 665kg topping this category at €1,590 (€2.39/kg).

Other high prices here included a Belgian Blue-cross cow at 605kg that sold for €1,350 (€2.23/kg) and a Friesian cow weighing 650kg that sold for €1,370 (€2.11/kg).

The bullock trade at Tuesday’s sale saw plenty of variety in terms of breeds and quality, with the 300kg to 400kg bullocks seeing increases of almost 15c/kg.

In this weight range, Angus bullocks typically averaged €2.64/kg, while Friesians averaged from €2.05/kg to €2.15/kg and Herefords pulled just ahead, averaging €2.75/kg. Bullocks from 400kg to 500kg were the most plentiful and the better-quality lots in this section also saw increases of nearly 10c/kg on the week previous.

Topping the lots here ws a Limousin weighing 480kg that sold for €1,420 (€2.96/kg), while a number of Angus- and Friesian-crosses hovered around the €2.20/kg mark.

On the flip side, heifers in this weight range also saw sharp increases, with Limousin-crosses averaging €2.70/kg and Angus heifers averaging €2.44/kg. Heavier cattle weren’t as plentiful this week. A number of well-conformed Angus-crosses flew fairly close to the €3.00/kg mark.