Well-muscled Belgian Blue and Limousin-cross weanlings made over €4.00/kg at Carnew Mart’s second annual weanling show and sale on Wednesday evening.

There was some 180 heifers and 320 weanling bulls put through the ring in Wicklow, with mart manager David Quinn reporting a 100% clearance rate for the 500 head.

The top price went to an exceptional 390kg spring-born well-muscled roan Belgian Blue-cross heifer that sold for €2,000 (€5.13/kg).

“There was nothing missed. In general, good shipping bulls and heifers were making the €4.00/kg mark,” Quinn said.

Quality stock

There was a large showing of extremely muscled Belgian Blue and Limousin weanlings, with strong demands for any crosses and roan animals that entered the ring.

Less muscled but good-quality Charolais- and Limousin-cross bull weanlings made in the region of €2.80/kg to €3.10/kg and plainer lots, of which there were very few, made between €2.20/kg and €2.40/kg.

Heifers of similar quality were on par with the equivalent bull weanling prices paid.

Demand for the quality weanlings was down to a strong attendance by exporters, with about 12 of Ireland’s leading buyers, including a number from Northern Ireland, present at the sale, said Quinn.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, bull finishers buying stock said that despite the high prices, they hope they make a sufficient margin on cattle this winter.