Top-quality Charolais bullocks broke records at the beef sale in Ballymena last Thursday.

The hammer dropped at £3,676, 404p/kg for a 910kg animal, while a lighter 720kg Charolais bullock set a new per kilogramme price record at 407p/kg, £2,930. Depending on killout percentage, these prices equate to around 670 to 700p/kg for finished cattle at slaughter.

Auctioneer Callum Patterson commented: “With the price of beef up earlier in the week, all stock classes were a sharper trade, from calves to finished beef. Are we at the peak yet, who’s to know?”

While Charolais bullocks broke the records, a 740kg Belgian Blue also performed well, making £3,004, 406p/kg. In general, 600 to 700kg lots were all breaking the 400p/kg barrier. An exceptional pen of factory-fit bullocks weighing 770 to 870kg, were in big demand and made between £3,050 and £3,350 per head.

Some 610 to 660kg Friesian bullocks were also presented on the day and sold from £1,695, 278p/kg to £2,151, 331p/kg.

Cow trade

Beef cows peaked at 386p/kg, £2,547 for a 660kg Belgian Blue, while a 910kg Limousin fetched £3,476, 382p/kg. Well-fleshed cows, from 600 to 800kg, traded strongly between 340 and 370p/kg. Friesian Cows hit 255p/kg, £1,785 for a 700kg animal, while most 600 to 700kg lots traded from 220 to 250p/kg.

Heifers

Beef heifers reached £2,880, 400p/kg for a 720kg Belgian Blue while a 720kg Charolais made £2,764, 384p/kg. Good-quality heifers weighing from 500 to 700kg generally sold for 360 to 380p/kg.

Ballymena Mart sales

  • Monday: Breeding sheep store lambs, 6pm.
  • Tuesday: Store bullocks and heifers, 11am.
  • Wednesday: Fat lambs, hoggets and fat ewes, 10.30am.
  • Thursday: Fat cows, clean beef and bulls, 10.30am.
  • Friday: Calves, 10.30am; weanlings, 11am; dairy and sucklers, 11.30am.

    • This 750kg Charolais steer, born 18 August 2022, sold for £2,820, 376p/kg.

    This Limousin male, born 9 June 2022, weighed 810kg and sold for £3,240, 400p/kg.

    This 850kg Limousin male was born 4 February 2023 and sold for £3,315, 390p/kg.

    This February 2023-born Limousin steer, weighed 790kg and sold for £3,167, 401p/kg.

    This November 2022-born Charolais steer, weighed 640kg and sold for £2,144, 335p/kg.

    This Speckle Park steer, born 17 June 2023, weighed 770kg and sold for £2,633, 342p/kg.

    This Belgian Blue female was born 5 March 2023, weighed 720kg and sold for £2,880, 400p/kg.

    This 1 May 2023-born Belgian Blue steer, weighed 630kg and sold for £2,179, 346p/kg.

    This Charolais female, born 10 June 2023, weighed 720kg and sold for £2,764, 384p/kg.

    This February 2020-born Simmental cow, weighing 920kg, sold for £2,835, 308p/kg.

    This July 2020-born Salers cow, weighed 570kg and made £1,824, 320p/kg.