Demand for show-type heifers or top-quality heifers possibly capable of breeding show-type animals continues to flourish.

Such heifers stole the limelight in Roscrea Mart’s weanling show and sale on Wednesday evening. In particular demand were Belgian Blue-cross and Limousin x Belgian Blue cross heifers with top prices exceeding €4/kg to €5/kg.

Competition was hottest for some older 2023-born heifers weighing from 400kg to 500kg and closer to being served with a dozen top heifers averaging €4.30/kg (€3.30/kg to €5.45/kg). The top handful of heifers weighing 300kg to 400kg also averaged around the €4.30/kg mark.

While the general run of prices for better-quality continental cross heifers ranged from €3/kg to €3.60/kg with plainer-quality types selling from €2.60/kg to €3/kg.

Lively trade

Lighter heifers weighing 200kg to 300kg averaged €2.77/kg with a wider differential based on varying quality and plainer-quality types, some with poor weight-for-age selling from €2.30/kg to €2.70/kg.

The trade for an entry of over 260 bulls was lively.

Bulls weighing 300kg to 400kg recorded a fine average price of €3.25/kg with the top third including prizewinners averaging €3.72/kg.

R grading continental bulls traded from €2.80/kg to €3.30/kg with U grades higher and plainer-quality types, some of which were bred from the dairy herd selling back to €2.25/kg to €2.75/kg.

It was a similar trend with lighter bulls weighing 200kg to 295kg with prices here averaging €2.88/kg and selling in a wide differential from less than €2/kg to shy of €4/kg.

Better-quality bulls sold from €3.20/kg to €3.80/kg with average quality from €2.70/kg to €3.15/kg.

Specialist feeders and factory agents were keen for heavier bulls weighing upwards of 400kg and faced competition with live exporters. Prices averaged €3.15/kg with a selection of U+ and E grading bulls selling from €3.70/kg to €4.75/kg while the general run of good-quality bulls sold from €3/kg to €3.50/kg and back to €2.60/kg to €2.90/kg for lesser-quality bulls.