There has been more life in the mart trade in the last week. Managers report confidence lost in the wake of the Brexit vote slowly rebuilding.
This is most apparent in demand for good-quality cattle with weight for age, with plainer-quality types and cattle likely to kill out of spec still meeting a sluggish trade. Sales activity has been low this week with farmers taking advantage of the fine spell to save fodder and catch up on field work.
Cull cows continue to be influenced by the factory trade, but are holding relatively strong in the marts considering this pressure. At the higher end of the market, good R and U grading cows are selling from €1.70/kg to €1.90/kg. Fleshed Friesian cows are selling anywhere from €1.20/kg to €1.50/kg, depending on grade, with feeding cows from €1.25/kg back to €1/kg.
Steers
Nice-quality R and U grade steers with weight for age in the 450kg to 500kg bracket are selling best, ranging from €2.30/kg to €2.50/kg and a high of €2.70/kg to €2.80/kg for top-quality 2015-born lots. Plainer O grading lots are selling back to €2.00/kg, with O grading Friesian steers from €1.70/kg to €1.90/kg, with poorer-quality types killing out of spec below this range. Heavy slaughter-fit stock are meeting relatively firm demand, trading from €1.90/kg for overage O grading steers to €2.10/kg to €2.15/kg.
Heifers
Similar to steers, heifer prices continue to run between 20c/kg and 30c/kg behind last year’s levels. Prices for the better-quality types have stabilised. R and U grading lots weighing 400kg to 500kg are selling on average from €2.20/kg to €2.40/kg. Plainer-quality heifers and lighter heifers are, in some cases, reported as meeting a more difficult trade, selling from €2.00/kg to €2.10/kg, with a percentage of O grading or dairy crossbred stock selling back to €1.90/kg.
Weanlings
Weanling sales have been small, although some autumn-born weanlings have started to appear in greater frequency. Prices reported are variable, with heavy bulls a slower trade than last year, but improving as feeders start to purchase. R grading bulls are trading from €2.00/kg to €2.20/kg, with U grades to €2.40/kg and a small percentage of exceptional quality lots to €2.60/kg. Weanling heifers are meeting a very variable trade, with quality and weight impacting on price and ranging from €2.10/kg to €2.60/kg on average.