Camera at the Mart: plainer cattle an easier trade in Carrigallen

The mart trade continues to perform pretty steadily and Monday night’s sale at Carrigallen Mart saw good demand for heavy cattle, with heavy bullocks, heifers and cows seeing very good demand from factory agents and a few Northern Irish customers.

Bullocks in the 400kg to 500kg category were trading around the €2.30/kg mark, with lesser dairy-cross Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks in or around the €2/kg mark.

Friesian bullocks under 500kg were trading for between €1.70/kg and €1.90/kg, depending on quality and flesh cover.

Lots of appetite

There was lots of appetite for higher-end bullocks, with a Charolais-cross bullock weighing 475kg hitting €1,300 (€2.74/kg). Another shapely Limousin bullock weighing 460kg hit €1,160 (€2.52/kg).

Factory feedlots were hungrier for heavier types, with bullocks in the 500kg to 600kg category also averaging out around €2.30/kg. Top call in the heavy bullock section went to an Aberdeen Angus weighing 595kg that sold for €1,490 (€2.50/kg).

Another heavy Aberdeen Angus bullock weighing 600kg sold for €1,460 (€2.43/kg). A 640kg Limousin bullock requiring further feeding hit €1,580 (€2.46/kg).

Heifers

In the heifer section, it was a similar story, with some of the top heifers in the 400kg to 500kg category hitting €2.70/kg and over. The general run of average heifers were working off €2.20/kg to €2.40/kg.

Dairy-cross Hereford and Aberdeen Angus heifers were a little easier, with some of these struggling to make it into the €2/kg range.

Best appetite was for continental types, with a 475kg heifer hitting €1,300 (€2.73/kg) and a 455kg Charolais heifer hitting €1,260 (€2.76/kg).

Heavier heifers also met a solid demand, with heifers over 600kg selling for between €2.30/kg and €2.80/kg, with the best money being paid for factory-fit heifers.

A 650kg Charolais heifer sold for €1,840 (€2.83/kg), with a 640kg Charolais heifer also hitting €1,680 (€2.62/kg).

Dry cows the highlight

Dry cows were the highlight of the trade, with factory agents and wholesalers driving the trade. Heavy slaughter-fit cows met the best demand, with a 765kg top-quality Limousin cow hitting €2,080 (€2.72/kg) and another good Limousin cow weighing 800kg selling for €2,030 (€2.54/kg).

The general run of store cows sold for around €2/kg to €2.20/kg, while lighter cows lacking flesh were back at €1.60/kg to €1.90/kg.

Commenting on the trade, Carrigallen Mart manager Helen Kells said: “Trade has been solid over the last few weeks.

“Our Monday night sales would always be smaller at this time of year as we gear up for a busy October of shows and sales for weanlings, heifers, bullocks, dry cows and sucklers.”

The first of these special show and sale days takes place this Saturday for weanling bulls where over 500 weanling bulls will be on offer.