Record prices at Ballymena beef sale

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