There were just under 460 head of cattle present in Central Auctions Birr Mart sales yard for its weekly cattle sale on Monday.

Central Auctions manager Michael Harty reported on an insatiable appetite for all classes of stock, leading to just one lot returning home unsold.

Grass buyers have been coming out in force in greater numbers and drove demand for lighter cattle, while beef finishers and agents continue to be buoyed by rising beef prices.

A super Hereford-cross cow weighing 965kg stole the limelight, commanding the top price of €3,700 (€3.83/kg).

The trade in general for cull cows was on fire and an entry of over 40 cows achieved a fine average price of €3.02/kg.

Heifers

All weight categories of heifers were highly sought after. Heifers weighing 350kg to 400kg recorded an average price of €3.78/kg. Heifers weighing 400kg to 500kg were the dominant category of heifer on offer and sold for an average of €3.93/kg.

Heifers in the 500kg to 600kg weight category recorded the highest average price of €4.23/kg. This included some good-quality continental-bred heifers that attracted keen demand and rapid bidding. A small number of heifers in excess of 600kg averaged €3.93/kg.

Weanling heifers were low in number, with grass buyers particularly active for lighter types. Heifers averaged €3.82/kg, with quality continentals breaching the €4/kg mark, while dairy crossbreeds with poor weight for age sold back to €3.20/kg to €3.50/kg.

In the bullock section, it was very much a case of the heavier the better, with factory agents fighting it out ringside and online. Bullocks weighing in excess of 600kg recorded a high average price of €4.28/kg.

An entry of about 100 bullocks weighing from 400kg to 600kg recorded an average price of €3.89/kg.

Demand for weanling bulls was underpinned by farmers buying cattle for summer grazing systems.

Weanling bulls weighing from 200kg to 300kg averaged €3.72/kg, with heavier types weighing from 300kg to 400kg recording a slightly lower average price of €3.66/kg.

Top-quality bulls sold to upwards of €4/kg, while dairy crossbreds sold back to €3.30/kg, with only small numbers below this price.

Michael Harty commented that the fine spell of weather has sparked the appetite of grass buyers at an earlier stage in the year, while higher prices are also encouraging some farmers to present cattle earlier and leading to busier sales.