The final cattle sale of 2022 at Carnaross Mart, Co. Meath, took place on Monday (December 19) and featured a sale of bullocks, cows, heifers and calves.

In the bullock sale, there were over 350 cattle on offer and the trade was described by mart manager Padraig McElroy as "sharp across the board, with an exceptional demand seen for beef-type cattle and heavy-store cattle".

"The demand for the heavy cattle has really picked up and this is filtering down to the lighter cattle also," McElroy, who expects this trend to continue into 2023, added.

Sample bullock prices:

"In the lighter store cattle, we had a 350kg continental bullock that sold for €1,180 and its comrade was 320kg and sold for €1,090," he continued.

"In the heavier-type bullocks, we had a 715kg Limousin-cross bullock that sold for €2,330 and a 840kg Charolais bullock belonging to a Co. Cavan farmer took the top price in the bullock sale of €2,660 or €3.17/kg."

McElroy said that the rising demand is being driven primarily by the home market with factory agents and feedlot buyers "anxious to secure cattle".

He added that there is particular bite to the trade for Angus heifers and bullocks too, with heavy Angus cattle making "in the region of €2.90 to €3.00/kg".

Sample heifer prices:

In the heifer ring, there was a smaller sale, but McElroy said that well-fleshed heifers were a "powerful trade".

"We had 500kg Angus heifers making as high as €1,470 or €2.94/kg here on Monday," he said.

There were over 280 calves on offer in the calf sale at Carnaross Mart. While there was a range of calf-types on offer, it appears the buyers were willing to pay a clear premium for the stronger, reared-type calf.

Sample calf prices:

McElroy commented: "Export buyers are slowly starting to buy calves but farmers buying calves for rearing are the main ones driving the trade presently."

Sample prices for stronger-type calves:

Cattle sales will recommence on January 9, 2023, with a calf and bullock sale and Tuesday (January 10) with a weanling sale. The heifer and dry cow sale will recommence on January 12.