Mart prices: Charolais the king in Carrigallen

A week after the mart held its special heifer sale and two weeks on from the special bull sale, there was still a strong number of buyers and sellers.

A total of 285 bulls and 180 heifers passed through the two rings.

Whether it was the heifers or bulls, the Charolais performed strongly. Overall, good-quality cattle were a strong trade with, as has been the case for several months now, plainer cattle struggling to make an impact.

Heifers

The heifer trade was buoyed by the presence of the Basic Payment Scheme in farmers’ accounts. Farmer activity was strong around the ring, with farmers looking for heifers.

The star rating of the heifer had little impact on the sale, with four- and five-star heifers not delivering a price premium.

A 334kg February 2017-born Limousin cross heifer sold for €880 or €2.63/kg, a 268kg April 2017-born Limousin cross made €750 (€2.79/kg), a fantastic 330kg Charolais cross heifer born in April 2017 sold for €1,070 (€3.24/kg) and a 278kg March 2017-born Charolais cross made €900 or €3.23/kg.

The quality of heifers on sale was very strong in the main.

This 310kg February 2017-born Charolais cross bull sold for €915 (€2.95/kg).

Bulls

In the bull ring, there was more of a mix of quality.

Any Charolais with a bit of weight had the hands in the ring but even good-quality Limousins were a harder trade bar a few exceptions.

Plain cattle were a hard sell.

A 365kg April 2017-born Charolais cross bull sold for €1,030 or €2.82.kg, a 225kg Limousin which was born in April 2017 made €700 (€2.74/kg), a 300kg Limousin born in April 2017 sold for €750 (€2.50/kg), a 290kg Limousin born in April 2017 sold for €700 (€2.41/kg), a 300kg Charolais cross born in May 2017 sold for €950 (€3.16/kg) and a 405kg March 2017-born Limousin cross sold for €2.59/kg.

Scroll through the images at the top of the page for a selection of bull prices from the sale.

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