Camera at the Mart attended the weekly cattle sale in Swatragh Mart on Monday, where a super show of stores met with sharp buying demand, leading to a flying trade from start to finish.

Despite the time of year, sale numbers are holding up, with mart manager Paul Coyle saying numbers have doubled from last year and continue to grow.

This Limousin bullock, born July 2019 and weighing 460kg, sold for £980.

He added that there has been an increase in the number of buyers attending sales this summer, such is the demand for cattle.

Prices have been strong since mid-spring, on the back of an improved beef trade, and this has carried over to the mart’s breeding sales, with farmers keen to re-invest in breeding outfits.

This Limousin bullock, born November 2019 and weighing 400kg, sold for £1,015.

Topping Monday’s store cattle sale was a 620kg Charolais heifer which sold to £1,305, or 210p/kg. Top price per kilo saw a Limousin heifer weighing 468kg making £1,095, or 234p/kg.

Other standout lots included a 598kg Charolais heifer that sold for £1,280 (214p/kg) and a 602kg Charolais heifer which made £1,225 (203p/kg).

This Charolais heifer, born May 2018 and weighing 448kg, sold for £950.

Heifers weighing 450kg to 550kg generally sold from £950 to £1,190 for good-quality continental types. Angus-bred heifers made £985 for a 474kg animal, with a 378kg Hereford making £735.

Bullocks sold to a top price per head of £1,180 for a 588kg Simmental animal (201p/kg), followed by £1,100 for a 482kg Simmental bullock (228p/kg).

This Limousin bullock, born May 2019 and weighing 432kg, sold for £1,030.

Top price per kilo saw a bullock making 289p/kg for a 362kg Limousin-bred animal, which sold for £1,045.

A good entry of light to mid-weight bullocks saw Charolais-bred animals making 235p/kg for a 404kg animal, with several Limousin-bred animals crossing the £1,000 mark at the 400kg to 410kg weight range.

Angus bullocks sold to £980 for a 460kg animal, with Belgian Blue bullocks making £960 for a 368kg animal. Fat cows sold to £1,100 on two occasions for a 581kg and 742kg Limousin animals.

This Limousin bullock, born June 2019 and weighing 356kg, sold for £850.

Breeding sale

On Friday evening, suckler outfits sold to £2,100 for a Charolais cow with Limousin heifer calf at foot, followed by £1,920 for a Simmental heifer with a Simmental bull calf at foot.

Spring heifers sold to £1,330, with maiden heifers peaking at £1,310.

This Limousin bullock, born January 2018 and weighing 492kg, sold for £975.

This Simmental bullock, born July 2019 and weighing 492kg, sold for £1,080.

This Charolais heifer, born July 2019 and weighing 522kg, sold for £1,090.

This Charolais heifer, born July 2018 and weighing 514kg, sold for £1,100.

This Charolais heifer, born May 2018 and weighing 448kg, sold for £950.

This Limousin cow, born May 2010 and weighing 742kg, sold for £1,100.

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