The cattle trade continues to hit new highs this week, with weanlings being the highlight of this week’s trade.

A combination of strong export activity and feedlot buying has seen weanling prices continue to improve since the beginning of 2024.

Such is the trade that some mart managers are reporting that farmers with autumn-born light calves are starting to show these weanlings to capitalise on the demand that is out there at the moment.

Elphin Mart in Co Roscommon held a special sale of weanlings on Monday last, with a number of exporters very active for all types of weanlings.

Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said: “We never seen such a trade as we seen here on Monday, with €4/kg now the norm for top-end weanlings.

“Lighter weanlings in the 250kg to 350kg weight bracket were also on fire, with lots of customers for the right types.

“I think we are starting to see them real good weanlings get a little tight in supply and farmers and exporters all want them.

“I think we’ll see a bigger divide with the good weanlings and the average weanlings in the future as farmer finishers see a real value in that good continental animal.

“Our top price on Monday was €1,750 for a May 2023-born Belgian Blue weanling weighing 400kg, but we seen similar money being paid all day,” Lynch said.

The famous annual Monaghan day sales kicked off this week in Aurivo Mart in Mohill, with 460 bull weanlings sold at the special sale on Tuesday.

Again, it was exporters driving the trade, with a combination of NI customers and other exporters working on middle east and continental jobs driving the trade.

Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that the weanling tables have the most green arrows, with almost every quality and weight category showing improvement on the previous week’s trading.

In the weanling bull section, it was actually the lower-quality weanlings that saw the biggest improvement this week.

Light dairy-bred Angus and Herford bull weanlings were up to €2.34/kg this week - a lift of 26c/kg on the previous week.

The top end was also very steady, with the best-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket this week coming in at €3.64/kg, a rise of 10c/kg on the previous week.

Heifer weanlings, while not just as hot as the bulls, still saw a steady week’s trading, with the top-end heifers coming in at €3.58/kg this week, while heavier heifers in the 400kg to 450kg weight bracket came in at €3.37/kg this week.

Moving on to the bullock rings, it was a mixed week, with heavy bullocks back a little on the previous week.

Top-end bullocks in the 500kg to 600kg weight bracket came in at €3.11/kg this week, while heavier bullocks over 600kg came in at €3.09/kg - a drop of 15c/kg on the previous week.

Heifers saw a positive week’s trading, with top-end heifers in the 500kg to 600kg weight bracket coming in at €3.18/kg this week, an increase of 10c/kg. Average heifers over 600kg came in at €2.97/kg - up 13c/kg.