Over 300 lots were sold at the general sale in Birr Mart on Monday.

The trade for heifers was lively, but bullocks were harder sold than they were seven days ago.

A breakdown of prices is given in Tables 1 and 2.

Bullocks

Light stores from 350kg to 400kg averaged €1.92/kg, unchanged for the week.

Angus- and Hereford-cross lots ranged from €1.85/kg to €1.96/kg.

Continental animals started at €2/kg, with nice-quality rising to €2.30/kg.

Bullocks weighing 400kg to 500kg were back 12c/kg this week.

Friesians started at €1.10/kg, with better-quality coming closer to €1.60/kg.

Angus- and Hereford-bred stock ranged from €1.60/kg to €1.95/kg.

A smaller selection of continentals made between €2/kg and €2.20/kg.

Heavier 500kg to 600kg cattle were back 9c/kg to an average of €1.59/kg, while €1.35/kg up to €1.50/kg was enough to secure Friesian lots.

The price range for Angus and Hereford bullocks was 30c/kg higher.

Bullocks over 600kg averaged €1.70/kg for the sale, back 7c/kg. Best quality commanded 20c/kg more.

Heifers

Heifers weighing 350kg to 400kg averaged €1.89/kg for the sale. Quality was making €2.05/kg and above.

From 400kg to 500kg, the sale average was €1.82/kg, a rise of 13c/kg from the week prior.

Again, quality made 15c/kg more and plainer lots were selling for €1.70/kg.

Heavy heifers ranging from 500kg to 600kg averaged €1.67/kg, a notable 8c/kg increase from last week’s sale.

Meawhile, €1.90/kg and over was required to secure top quality in this weight band.

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.