There was a large sale featuring over 700 animals, including almost 150 calves, in Thurles Mart on Monday. Bullocks and dry cows were a steady trade, but calf prices dipped, largely due to an influx in numbers.

Ninety percent of cattle entered were sold.

Bullocks

From 400kg to 500kg, the sale average was €2.01/kg, with almost all of these lots of a dairy background. A handful of Friesian lots set the base line at €1.40/kg and these ran to €1.75/kg.

Moving on, dairy-beef-crosses of the Angus and Hereford variety ranged from €1.90/kg up to a strong €2.10/kg for quality lots.

Bullocks weighing 500kg to 600kg came into an average of €1.90/kg, with a good selection of continentals bringing up the average. Friesians started at €1.35/kg and ran as high as €1.75/kg for the better-quality animal.

Dairy-beef bullocks went from €1.85/kg to just over €2/kg. Prices for continentals started with Simmentals at €2.10/kg, while Limousin- and Charolais-crosses went from €2.15/kg to €2.25/kg.

Heavy bullocks weighing 600kg-plus averaged €1.96/kg, with continentals crossing the €2/kg mark.

Heifers and cows

From 400kg to 500kg, heifers averaged €2/kg, with the best-quality lots commanding €2.10/kg and over.

Heavier 500kg to 600kg heifers average €2.01/kg, with €2.15/kg required to secure nice quality.

Over 50 cows were sold to an average price of €1.29/kg. Friesian cows ranged from €0.91/kg to €1.40/kg or €500 to €1,000 per head.

A handful of Hereford-cross cows sold for between €1.50/kg and €1.55/kg.

Calves

One-hundred-and-twenty bull calves sold to an average of €130 per head, back €10 on the week before, but this was expected, given bull calf numbers were almost double.

Friesian calves ranged from €20/head up to €125/head, while Hereford-cross and Angus-cross calves made between €165/head and €265/head.

A small number of Charolais-cross calves made over €350/head.

Heifer calves – nearly all Angus- and Hereford-cross - ranged from €45/head to €200/head. Again, a selection of Charolais heifers did well, making between €200 and €240 each.

Thurles Mart

To the seller, commission rates for bullocks, heifers and cows are €10/head for singles and €9/head for multiples, plus 0.05%. For calves, it's €8/head for a single calf plus 0.05%.

To the buyer, commission is €10/head for bullocks, heifers and cows and €7/head for calves.

Analysis for this report was generated from the MartBids app. MartBids is a collaboration between the Irish Farmers Journal and livestock marts. The app is available for download on iPhone or Android on the App Store or Google Play. With this app, all of the information that is displayed on the mart board is now available on your smartphone, long before the animal enters the sales ring.