Camera at the Mart: bullocks boast €3.30/kg average in Elphin

On Wednesday 13 September, Elphin Livestock Mart in Co Roscommon held its annual special sale of bullocks.

The sale had 465 entries, with quality surpassing all expectations, which had a huge influence on the trade.

Demand at the ringside was strong and, as a direct result, the 465 entries met a very positive 94% clearance rate, aided by a large amount of online activity.

Charity sale

A special addition to this year’s sale saw a special charity auction take place in aid of the Elphin Day Care Centre.

The Hereford-cross bullock that was donated by a local farmer weighed in at 670kg and sold for €2,000 to Dawn Meats (€3.00/kg).

Heavy Charolais-cross bullocks weighing over 700kg sold very well and typically sold from €3.12/kg up to €3.50/kg.

Slightly lighter bullocks in the 500kg to 600kg bracket averaged at €3.20/kg.

Despite a much smaller entry, traditional-bred Aberdeen Angus bullocks also sold quite well, with one bullock weighing 630kg selling for €1,700 (€2.70/kg) and another weighing 535kg selling for €1,400 (€2.62/kg).

Highest price

Securing the highest price per kilo and highest overall price was a Limousin-cross bullock weighing 575kg that sold for €2,400 (€4.17/kg), while the overall day’s trading saw an average price of €3.30/kg.

Groups of bullocks also sold well, with six Limousin-crosses weighing 687kg selling for €2,060 (€3.00/kg) and five Charolais-cross bullocks weighing 670kg selling for €1,920 (€2.87/kg).

The sale kicked off at 11am, with an extremely positive trade and that trade held strong until 8pm that evening when the sale concluded.

It was the battle of the fittest between buyers, as, with strong activity from Northern Ireland customers, southern buyers had to dig deep to secure the choice lots.

‘Exceptional day’

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Farmers Journal after the sale, Elphin Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said: “We had an exceptional trade on the day from 11 in the morning until 8 o’clock that night with the trade holding firm all day.

“It’s great to see such positivity around the price of cattle and hopefully it will encourage farmers, especially the suckler men, to keep at it, because them top-end calves are going to be a premium from here on in.”