Leinster Marts hosted its weekly sale in Carlow Mart on Monday, with a very mixed display of stock.
The upper end of stock was well able to come into money, with €2.50/kg and slightly over it achievable for the upper end of lighter or younger stock.
Quality, fit cattle, both male and female, were easy brought into the €1.90/kg to €2/kg mark, while lesser-quality and older cattle found it harder to see the rise and some had to settle for €1.80/kg or just beyond it.
This reduced back to around the €1.60/kg mark for Friesian-bred stock.
Factory premiums
It was particularly evident that buyers were keen for 2019-born cattle rather than those born in 2018 to get the factory premiums.
A small entry of spring-born calves ranged from €400 to €460 across the breeds.
Fit cull cows from dairy descent were in demand, with up to €1.65/kg achievable, but, in general, were around the €1.30/kg mark.
Those straight from the parlour in need of feeding proved harder sold, with prices starting anywhere around €1.20/kg.
Continental-bred dry cows were up on this, with the general price from €1.50/kg to €1.85/kg.
