Camera at the Mart: heifers and cows on fire in Roscrea

Central Auctions Roscrea Mart witnessed an insatiable appetite for slaughter-fit heifers and cows at its fatstock shows and sales held last Saturday and Monday respectively.

The heifer show and sale also witnessed continued sharp demand from specialist in-calf heifer producers for any top-quality breeding types on offer.

The trade was vibrant, with in excess of 100 heifers selling for upwards of €2,500 and 30 of these topping €3,000/head.

MartBids analysis of the 550 heifers on offer shows almost 250 weighing upwards of 600kg recording a fine average of €3.76/kg, with the top third of heifers selling for €4.31kg and the bottom third €3.34/kg.

The average price per kilo for another 200-plus heifers weighing 500kg to 600kg was slightly lower, but still vibrant, with the top third selling for €3.88/kg (average of €3.52/kg).

There was a significant number of Angus-cross, Hereford-cross and Belgian Blue-cross heifers bred from the dairy herd included in this category and selling from €3/kg to €3.47/kg for slaughter-fit lots.

The top third of heifers weighing 400kg to 500kg averaged €3.70/kg, with the majority of heifers being Limousin-cross and Charolais-cross.

Prices for the average and bottom third of heifers sold from €3/kg to €3.32/kg, with Aberdeen Angus-cross and Hereford-cross heifers selling from €3/kg to €3.37/kg.

Buyers from Northern Ireland were also prominent in Monday’s cow sale and competed with wholesale buyers and agents from plants most active in the cow trade.

Over 22% of the entry of in excess of 320 cows sold above the €2,500/head mark, with some exceptional-quality cows on offer and headline-grabbing prices from €4,000 to €4,650. However, it was arguably lesser-quality cows that most excited vendors for the majority of cows on offer.

For example, the bottom third of cows according to MartBids analysis recorded an average price of €2.22/kg, with fleshed Friesian cows selling from €1.90/kg to €2.50/kg and hitting as high as €2.60/kg to €2.70/kg.

Lesser-quality O grading and R grading traditional-bred and Limousin, Simmental and Belgian Blue-cross cows sold from €2.70/kg to €3/kg, while demand for better-quality continental cows was insatiable.

The top third of cows recorded an average price of €3.59/kg, with good-quality continental cows selling from €3.20/kg to €3.70/kg, while upwards of 20 cows sold from €3.70/kg to €4.77/kg.