Tuesday last saw Balla Mart, Co Mayo, host the first of its weekly weanling sales, which saw 650 lots go through two rings.

Weanlings met a super trade for both bulls and heifers.

The lighter high-quality weanlings led the way, with a high demand for quality throughout the sale.

Bull trade

Bulls started off strongly, with quality U grade weanlings causing a bidding frenzy with many of the buyers ringside. There was also a strong online presence throughout the sale.

Bulls weighing 450kg-plus met a strong trade, with these averaging €2.75/kg.

Lighter bulls weighing 350kg-plus came in at a similar average, where the top cattle in both weight brackets made up to €3.05/kg. Lighter bulls under 300kg-plus also met a super trade, with a lot of these crossing €3/kg.

Heifers

Heifers saw a super trade, with many meeting a strong demand from farmers and breeding heifer buyers.

Top-quality U grade heifers suitable for beef and breeding saw the best trade, with the tops in this group coming in close to €4/kg and over it for the real highlights in the sale.

The general average for heifers was also around €3/kg for those under 400kg, while heifers over 400kg met a strong average at €2.60/kg, with some top lots in this weight bracket also coming in over €3/kg.

The top-priced heifer at the sale came in at €2,190 for a 400kg Charolais heifer (€5.47/kg).

“The demand for quality was there, with export buyers as well as northern buyers ringside. This left the top-quality U and E grading cattle a very good trade,” said mart manager Stephen Hannon