Though there is a slight slowdown in numbers of weanlings passing through marts, there is still ample appetite for calves from buyers, as was seen in Granard Mart’s Monday sale.
With 344 bull and heifer calves passing through the sale, a 97% clearance rate was evidence of the demand from buyers to source numbers, while there were also an additional four pens of cattle compared with the week before.
Charolais dominated the sale in numbers, with quality dictating price in both rings.
Bull calves saw nice-quality types command prices of €3.30/kg and above with ease, though poorer-quality lots struggle to hit the €3/kg mark.
This was particularly evident in lighter calves below the 270kg mark and while some may have hit a decent price per kilo, price per head was below what would be expected of spring-born calves.
Trade could be described as exceptionally good for bulls in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket, with a mix of exporters and farmers active for U and R grading types, with exporters most active for those above 350kg.
Prices of €3.20/kg to €3.60/kg were freely available for top-end bulls suited for bull beef, export or to make top-end bullocks.
With weanling sales on the wind down, there were only a handful of bulls above 400kg, with these selling at a comparable price per kilo to their lighter counterparts.
A small number of runner-type bulls sold for €2.64/kg to €2.80/kg, with the majority of these being Angus-cross.
Heifers
Quality was arguably more consistent in the heifer ring, with a mix of Limousin- and Charolais-cross heifers forming the majority of lots.
Farmer buyers scooped up the majority of heifers, with dealers looking for consistent batches for customers also making their presence felt ringside.
Unlike the bulls, lighter heifers were not penalised as heavily on price, owing to higher quality.
Top-end heifers suitable for finishing or possibly breeding commanded prices north of €3.40/kg in the main, with those at the lower end of R grading selling for between €3/kg and €3.30/kg.
Some whiter Charolais types with good weight for age presented value for sellers, floating around the €3/kg mark.
Overall average price across both bulls and heifers sat at €3.39/kg, up 6c/kg on the week prior.
