Carnew Mart hosted its first cattle sale of 2022 on Saturday, January 8, which "got off to a flyer" according to mart manager Eugene Clune.

The opening sale of the year was composed of a total of 962 head of cattle on offer including cows, heifers, bullocks, bulls, calves and a dairy sale.

According to Clune, the cow trade at Carnew's weekly sale was "on fire from the start" with many cows making €1,100 with their weight and a few cows breaking the €2,000 mark.

The trade for cows on the day was driven by a combination of factory agents, wholesalers and northern customers looking for quality beef-type cows, while there were many farmers and feeders available to buy the store-type cows.

Top cow prices from Carnew Mart last Saturday:

The heifer trade witnessed a strong demand also, with beef and forward-type heifers very sought after.

Store heifers were also in big demand from farmers and factory-agents alike. Quality lots of heifers were making over €3.00/kg as there was a keen demand from farmers buying heifers, with plenty of potential for breeding with a top price of €3.24/kg paid for a 440kg Belgian Blue heifer.

Top heifer prices from Carnew Mart last Saturday:

Bullocks were "the same story" according to Clune, with some top-quality stock on offer and better-type 400-450kg bullocks with plenty of scope making as far as €3.00/kg.

Most quality lots of bullocks sold for between €2.65 and €2.75/kg and lighter dairy-bred cattle sold in general from between €2.20 and €2.30/kg.

Top bullock prices from Carnew Mart last Saturday:

Bulls were in short supply on the day and the bulls that were there "met a good steady trade", according to Clune.

Top bull prices from Carnew Mart last Saturday:

Finally, there was a big show of calves on offer for the first sale of the year.

A total of 148 calves were on offer with all types meeting "a cracking trade", Clune noted.

Shipping-type Friesian bulls sold from €55-€100, while farmer-type Friesian bulls made €100-€180.

Hereford and Angus bull calves ranged from €190- €320/head, depending on size and quality.

Hereford and Angus heifer calves ranged from €175-€360/head, while continental bull calves made from €225- €460/head.

Lastly, continental heifer calves made from €230 - €445/head.