Over 500 cattle went through the ring on Monday night in Tullamore Mart. There was a 99% clearance, which reflected the continued demand for beef cattle, with big demand for quality.

The weanling trade was on fire, with a packed ringside of buyers competing with strong competition from online purchasers. Continental weanlings born in 2022 with good conformation were a solid trade, reaching up to and in excess of €3/kg or more for choice lots.

Farmers were very active around the ring, with exporters competing with farmers, particularly in the weanling bull ring.

Charolais and Limousin breeds dominated the weanling heifer ring, with the top price going to a 290kg Limousin-cross heifer that sold for €970 (€3.34/kg). The next highest price of €1,450 was also for a Limousin-cross heifer weighing 450kg (€3.22/kg).

Other Charolais heifers fetched €3.21/kg and over. In all, the heifers ranged from €300 to €970, averaging up to 22c/kg per head dearer than the same month last year.

Heavier heifers weighing over 600kg fit for slaughter were making €2,000 (€3.05/kg), with heifers in the 500kg to 600kg bracket hitting between €2.70/kg and €2.90/kg, depending on quality.

Weanling bulls peaked at €3.33/kg for a Charolais-cross runner weighing 165kg, with another Charolais bull weighing 555kg at €1,690 (€3.04/kg).

Other highs came for a Charolais-cross weighing 245kg that made €790 (€3.22/kg) and a 325kg Limousin that sold for €3.26/kg.

In the cow ring, suckler pairs topped €2,020, which was achieved for a Charolais-cross cow and calf pair.

A few top-end Aberndeen Angus-cross cows with calves at foot sold for €1,890, with Limousin pairs making €1,780. The lower-end Angus pairs reached €1,380 and a few lighter Limousin cows fetching €1,520.

Suckler cows both with and without calves at foot ranged from €1,360 to €2,020.

Dry cows were low in numbers on the night, but they topped at €1,500 for a 625kg Simmental-cross (€2.40/kg). A Piedmontese dry cow weighing 655kg sold for €1,320 (€2.01/kg), with Friesians weighing around 500kg making €1.34/kg, selling for €670.

With prices up across the board from last week, mart manager Antoinette Daly commented: “It was a very dear sale. We were delighted to see that weanlings were once again an exceptionally good trade.

“There was no shortage of customers either online or at the packed ringside, which we love to see. We were very happy with the 99% clearance.”