Gortatlea Mart saw its annual show and sale of heifer weanlings on Wednesday last see exceptional-quality cattle marry with strong commercial prices.
With just under 800 cattle on offer, 300 heifer weanlings were present for sale. A 99% clearance rate was recorded across all lots.
Gortatlea Mart manager Maurice Brosnan noted: “Weanlings are back a tiny bit [at our sales], but not back anything like the price of beef cattle.
“I’d have a slight concern going forward that if the shippers don’t keep going when the numbers of weanlings come out, that price will go backwards.”
Maurice noted that while exporters were most prominent for bulls at recent sales, select shippers also vied for the top-end heifers on offer, while farmers and fatstock enthusiasts were keen for quality, well-marked heifers as well.
Strong heifers
Strong heifers over 400kg were not penalised on weight as such, with €4.90/kg to €5.30/kg being the general run on price, with exceptional quality lots clearing this with ease.
The majority of heifers on offer sat in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket, again the majority of these heifers clearing €5/kg for R+- and U-grading types.
Lighter heifers or those with a poor weight for age or conformation were a trickier sell, with these types back close to €4/kg on occasion, with a noted price being a Charolais-cross weighing 270kg selling for €1,480 (€5.48/kg).
Top call on the night was a Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 415kg, which sold for the top price of €5,150, which also equated to the top price per kg at €12.40/kg.
In vogue
Belgian Blue-cross heifers were the most in vogue, with another lot weighing 420kg selling for €4,900 (€11.66/kg).
In the Limousins, noted prices included a Limousin- cross heifer weighing 425kg selling for €2,850 (€6.70/kg) with another being a heifer tipping the scales at 410kg selling for €2,860(€6.97/kg).
In the runners, strong calves weighing close to the 250kg mark sold in the main between €880 and €950/head, with the majority of these being Angus-cross types, with continental types selling between €4 and €5/kg with relative ease.
Lighter lots between 160kg and 200kg sold between €660 and €800/head in the main.
SHARING OPTIONS