It’s a rare event for Friesians to steal some of the thunder at a fatstock sale, but that’s what happened in Tralee on Monday last at the Kingdom Co-op Mart, as demand for heavy forward cattle continued to climb.

Selling for €2.66/kg, a bundle of 695kg Friesian bullocks were a fair reflection of just where the beef trade is at the moment.

Regardless of breed, factory-fit cattle are scarce and buyers are willing to go that bit extra to buy them. That was reflected in a 99% clearance rate of the 504 cattle on offer.

An 830kg August 2022-born Belgian Blue-cross bullock owned by Liam O’Sullivan from Ardfert took home the supreme championship title and was also the sale topper at €3,980 (€4.80/kg).

There were a few similar prices paid for choice lots, but, after that, similar to many other fatstock sales in the southwest, demand was such for forward stock that average prices were higher than other years.

Angus-crosses were especially in demand and those from dairy backgrounds were making from €2.82/kg to €3.33/kg.

Suckler genetics

A few with suckler genetics managed to creep up a little higher, with one lot exceeding €3.50/kg.

Hereford-crosses, especially those over 500kg, met similar demand. For the most part, continentals sold in a similar range with a share exceeding it.

‘Unbelievable trade’

Speaking after the sale, regular auctioneer and interim mart manager John Michael Fitzgerald said: “Trade was unbelievable. As one farmer said to me ‘the Christmas lights might not be up in town yet but Tralee Mart was lit up with prices today’.

“Looking back at sales since November, the only way to describe it is like a ladder, every week prices were taking a step higher.

“We had plenty of activity from factory buyers and online buyers were active too.

“We had some farmers from the midlands buy a good few stores and one load of cattle were purchased by a northern buyer too. It’s proving that the ring is the place to sell cattle at the moment.”