Plain cattle met with a tougher trade in Kilkenny Mart, Cillin Hill on Thursday, according to the Mart’s Auctioneer George Candler.
Candler said there was bigger number of cattle on offer and as a result customers were more selective with their purchases.
Due to the larger number of cattle on offer, he said that plainer cattle prices declined by €15-30/head on the previous week’s sale, when plain cattle also met with a difficult trade due to the lack of grass buyers.
In the steer ring, forward beef steers weighing over 500kg made €1.80-2.60/kg, while the lighter store steers traded from €1.80-3.05/kg.
Looking at the heifer prices, beef heifers sold from €2.00-2.50/kg or €600-910 over and the forward store heifers sold from €2.00-2.65/kg. Lighter store heifers made €1.80-3.05/kg.
Candler said that cull cows remain the brightest sector with continental culls trading from €1.40-2.07/kg and Friesian cull cows made €1.05-1.75/kg. Top quality suckler cows with calves sold to a top price of €2,000.
Further north in Raphoe, Co. Donegal, plainer cattle continued to remain hard to sell, according to the Mart Manager Anne Harkin.
Harkin said there was a good entry of cattle on offer on Thursday, with 400 cattle passing through the ring resulting in a good trade for quality cattle and cattle for grazing.
She said that store steers sold from €2.35-2.85/kg, with the lighter lots selling up to and over €3.00/kg, similar type heifers traded from €2.40-2.80/kg.
Harkin also said that cull cows for grazing sold from €800-1,365 each.
Raphoe Cattle Mart