Tuam Mart in Co. Galway hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Monday (June 19) with a "cooling in prices paid" being witnessed across the cattle trade.

A price report from the Co. Galway-based mart said that the "ploy by the factories to pull the price of beef appears to be having a knock-on effect in the mart trade".

In the cow sale, the top price per kilo was €1,770 or €2.53/kg for a 700kg Belgian Blue-cross cow, owned by a Williamstown farmer.

Sample cow prices from the sale at Tuam mart:

715kg Simmental cow sold for €1,770 or €2.48/kg;
730kg Limousin cow sold for €2,010 or €2.75/kg;
685kg Simmental cow sold for €1,690 or €2.47/kg;
650kg Friesian cow sold for €1,570 or €2.42/kg;
620kg Angus cow sold for €1,350 or €2.18/kg;
700kg Belgian Blue cow sold for €1770 or €2.53/kg.

In the heifer sale, the top price per kilo was €3.47/kg for a 375kg crossbred Limousin heifer that sold for €1,300.

Sample heifer prices from the sale at Tuam mart:

330kg Limousin heifer sold for €1100 or €3.33/kg;
375kg Limousin heifer sold for €1300 or €3.47/kg;
505kg Limousin heifer sold for €1420 or €2.81/kg;
555kg Limousin heifer sold for €1560 or €2.81/kg;
565kg Limousin heifer sold for €1580 or €2.80/kg;
615kg heifer sold for €1660 or €2.70/kg.

Meanwhile, in the bullock sale, the top price per kilo was €3.14/kg for a Charolais bullock weighing 315kg that sold for €990.

Sample bullock prices from the sale at Tuam mart:

315kg Charolais bullock sold for €990 or €3.14/kg;
355kg Limousin bullock sold for €1,090 or €3.07/kg;
465kg Simmental bullock sold for €1,300 or €2.80/kg;
515kg Limousin bullock sold for €1,530 or €2.97/kg;
A pair of 535kg bullocks sold for €1,640 or €3.07/kg;
570kg Limousin bullock sold for €1,660 or €2.91/kg;
690kg Charolais bullock sold for €2,000 or €2.90/kg.

Weanling heifers and bulls were a good trade in the sale with good continental-bred weanlings clearing €3.50/kg at ease.

Sample weanling heifer and bull prices from Tuam Mart:

235kg Charolais weanling heifer sold for €900 or €3.83/kg;
265kg Charolais weanling heifer sold for €940 or €3.55/kg;
315kg Limousin weanling heifer sold for €960 or €3.05/kg;
255kg Charolais weanling bull sold for €800 or €3.14/kg;
330kg Charolais weanling bull sold for €1,250 or €3.79/kg;
390kg Charolais weanling bull sold for €1,440 or €3.69/kg.

The next general cattle sale at Tuam Mart will take place at 11:00a.m on Monday, June 26.

Last week's sheep sale at Tuam saw strong demand for well-fleshed lambs with the top price/head in the spring lamb sale going to a pen of 52.2kg spring lambs selling for €190 or €3.64/kg. Another pen of 47.5kg spring lambs sold for €180/head or €3.79.

A pen of 60kg hoggets sold for €162/head or €2.70/kg. In the cull ewe sale, the top price went to a 103kg ewe selling for €198.