Cattle numbers are gradually filtering back into marts now after the Christmas break. Monday’s general sale in Birr saw an entry of just over 100 animals in what was the mart’s first sale of the new year.

Bullocks

Lighter stores from 400kg to 500kg averaged €1.88/kg. Friesian lots hovered between €1.67/kg and €1.74/kg. A small selection of Hereford and continental lots started at €1.90/kg and topped at €2.15/kg.

The average price paid for 500kg to 600kg bullocks was €1.81/kg. Friesian lots ranged between €1.55/kg and €1.85/kg for the better-framed animal. Traditional crosses and a small selection of continentals ran from €1.90/kg up to €2.05/kg.

Heavy bullocks weighing over 600kg sold for an average price of €1.77/kg. Best quality could regularly command 15c/kg above the average, while plainer lots were 15c/kg the wrong side of the average.

Top bullock price on the day was €1,420, which went to a pair Angus-crosses weighing 787kg on average (€1.80/kg).

Heifers

Store heifers weighing between 400kg and 500kg averaged €1.85/kg. Good quality made over €2/kg and ran to a high of €2.24/kg for a 21-month-old Limousin-cross. Plainer lots were back below €1.70/kg.

Heavier store heifers from 500kg to 600kg averaged €1.75/kg. Quality heifers here went well, regularly hitting over €2.05/kg. Top price was €2.29/kg for a 510kg Limousin-cross.

A super pair of heavy heifers, averaging 655kg, took the top heifer price on the day, making €1,450. They were Charolais-cross and had just crossed the 30-month mark.

A small selection of cows was offered. Dairy cows ranged from €1.10/kg to €1.30/kg, while a handful of continental cows ranged between €1.50/kg and €1.70/kg.

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.