An entry of approximately 200 heifers met keen demand at Inishowen Co-op’s weekly cattle sale on Monday.

The best demand was for good-quality continental store heifers, with competition strongest for heifers weighing 320kg to 430kg.

Top-quality Charolais- and Limousin-sired heifers ranged from €3.30/kg to €3.60/kg.

One third of the sale entry was accounted for by heifers in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket.

Average prices

The average price was recorded at €3.04/kg. This ranged from €3.41/kg for the top third of heifers in this category to €2.59/kg for the plainest-quality lots, including some beef-crosses bred from the dairy herd.

A similar average price of €3.02/kg was recorded for heifers weighing 400kg to 500kg.

Top-quality lots sold from €3.20/kg to €3.50/kg, average-quality around the €3.10/kg mark and, again, plainer-quality types back to €2.60/kg to €2.90/kg.

Heifers weighing 500kg to 600kg were in lower supply, with prices averaging at just shy of €3/kg.

Plainer quality

Some dairy-cross and plainer-quality O grading heifers sold from €2.55/kg to €2.85/kg, while the better-quality continental-crosses sold from €3/kg to €3.23/kg.

The average price for a small entry of heifers weighing in excess of 600kg was boosted by a few excellent-quality Limousin-cross heifers selling to a top of €2,370 for a 665kg heifer.

Prices averaged in excess of €3/kg, with a general range from €2.80/kg to €3.15/kg. Factory agents were keen for any slaughter-fit stock with finishers competing for short-keep types.

Mart manager Harry Molloy reported that demand for store cattle is positive despite the ongoing adverse weather.

He says that when weather does improve, it is likely to attract more local farmer buyers to the ring, but added that grass buyers are still active as the year is pushing on and buyers are afraid quality may dip later in the season.

Sales throughput is also rising to its seasonal spring peak with sales across April expected to busy. The cow trade has been steady at a strong level for many months.

Over 30 cows recorded a fine average of €2.51/kg, with a significant percentage selling from €2.30/kg to €2.75/kg.

Cow heifers and excellent-quality cows sold to €2.99/kg, with plainer-quality back to €2/kg.

The mart will hold its sale of bullocks and bull weanlings on Monday 8 April.