Prices are continuing to reach new highs at recent cattle mart sales, with a number of heavy bullocks clearing the €4.00/kg price mark at Carnaross Mart in Co. Meath on Monday, January 20, and some impressive prices seen across all categories at Balla Mart, Co. Mayo on Saturday, January 18.

There were over 370 bullocks and over 270 calves on offer at the weekly Monday calf and bullock sale at Carnaross Mart, with the top price in the calf ring of €685 going to a Belgian Blue bull calf.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Padraig McElroy said: "There is a serious demand for cattle at present with Northern and export customers securing over 100 cattle from the bullock sale alone".

Sample prices from the bullock sale at Carnaross Mart:

685kg Limousin bullock sild for €2,800 or €4.09/kg;
505kg Chgarolais bullock sold for €2,000 or €3.96/kg;
580kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,290 or €3.95/kg;
665kg Belgian Blue bullock sold for €2,620 or €3.94/kg;
605kg Charolais bullock sold for €2,370 or €3.92/kg.

Meanwhile, Balla Mart in Co. Mayo hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Saturday, January 18 with approximately 800 lots on offer.

Mart manager Michael Nolan told Agriland that "record prices" were reached in the cow ring and attributed the strong activity from northern customers as well as the firm home demand to this.

In the bullock sale, the mart manager noted that some Friesian bullocks in the sale averaged as much as €3.00/kg.

Bullocks in the 300-400kg weight category averaged €3.42/kg while store bullocks in the 400-500kg weight category averaged €3.25/kg and heavier bullocks weighing over 500kg averaged €3.31/kg.

A February 2024-born Limousin bullock weighing 335kg sold for €1,350 or €4.03/kg and another heavier Limousin bullock weighing 665kg made €2,480 or €3.73/kg and a 700kg Charolais bullock sold for €2,520 or €3.60/kg.

In the heifer sale at the Co. Mayo mart venue, lighter store heifers weighing from 300-400kg averaged €3.34/kg. Heifers weighing from 400-500kg averaged €3.30/kg while heifers weighing over 500kg averaged €3.33/kg.

A 655kg Limousin heifer sold for €2,490 or €3.80/kg and another lighter Belgian Blue weanling heifer weighing 495kg made €2,380 or €4.81/kg. A Blonde d'Aquitaine heifer weighing 415kg made €1,880 or €4.53/kg.

There were 150 cows on offer in the dry cow sale with cows over 500kg averaging €2.94. The top price in the cow sale

The top price in the cow sale went to an 870kg five-year-old Limousin-cross cow that made €3,080 and another Charolais cull cow made €2,880.

In the springers, a farmer from Bohola, Co. Mayo sold a continental cow calving in February for €2,560.

There were approximately 100 bull weanlings in the sale with most of the tops of these going for export, according to the mart manager.

A 580kg Belgian Blue bull made €1,700 and "a lot of the lighter bulls were making over the 4.00/kg", Nolan said.

Weanling bulls in the 200- 350kg bracket averaged €3.71/kg and bulls weighing from 350-450kg averaged €3.33/kg.