Weather and beef prices hit trade

The trade on Saturday at Balla Mart was down on last week, with severe heavy rain in recent days and again on Friday night putting a dampener on prices.

At the top of the trade, heavy store bullocks were a little easier, with fewer U grades over 600kg reaching the €1,200/head mark.

The majority of good-quality R grade stores sold from €1,000 to €1,100/head. Bullocks from 500kg to 600kg sold mainly from €900/head to €1,150/head, with U grades making over €1,200/head.

Plainer cattle and dairy cross cattle in that weight bracket were met with greater price reductions.

Stores from 400kg to 500kg sold from €850 to €1,100/head depending on quality, with the majority selling for around the €1,000/head mark. Again, plainer quality lighter stores were a weaker trade than good continentals.

Weanlings

Where weanling bulls were on offer, they were not met with the same price drops as heavier cattle. Good weanlings from 300kg to 400kg sold from €800 to €900/head but the number of bulls at the upper end of prices were scarce.

Heifers

Heavy heifers over 600kg were back on last week. Top-quality types did sell for over €1,200/head, but again the number of these were low. Those from 500kg to 600kg sold mainly from €1.90/kg to €2.10/kg, with prices running around twice the weight for better-quality types. Stores from 400kg to 500kg made from €800 to €1,000, with only top-quality U grades making over €1,000/head.

Light weanlings were a shade easier also, with plain weanlings receiving the weakest demand.

Fleshed continental cull cows sold mainly from €1.55/kg to €1.75/kg. The main range of feeding cows sold from €1.30/kg to €1.55kg depending on quality, with plainer and older cows making from €1.10/kg upwards.