On Monday, Elphin Mart held its special August bank holiday weanling sale where 438 cattle were on offer with 322 of these been bulls.
Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said: “We had one of the best yards of cattle quality-wise over seen in a long time, the standard of bulls was super.
"There were just five bull weanlings of the 322 on offer not sold. The 317 bulls sold averaged €2,100.
"Shippers kept a good floor under the trade, buying 40% of the calves on offer and buying calves weighing from 320kg up to 420kg, with plenty of feedlots buying the heavier bulls weighing over the 450kg mark.
“We had a number of northern buyers back around the ring looking for bulls, which is helping the trade fop those heavier types," he added.
“The best trade of the day was for calves in the 350kg to 400kg bracket. These averaged €5.18/kg for the 114 bulls on offer, with the top third averaging €5.87/kg, which is a credit to the quality on offer.
"This weight of a bull weanling is ticking the boxes for a number of buyers, provided they're under 12 months of age.”
Heavier bulls
“Heavier bulls weighing from 400kg to 450kg, while back on the same sale last year, still averaged €5/kg, with the top third of bulls in this weight bracket selling to an average of €5.40/kg.
"Bulls weighing over 450kg were not as sought after by the shippers this year – the top third of these sold to an average of €5.03/kg, with the bottom third averaging €4.26/kg.
“Buyers are more selective this year. The shippers aren’t buying as many heavy calves and farmers are opting for weanling under 12 months. Despite this, we had 77 bulls over 12 months of age and the top third of these weighing from 400kg to 500kg sold to an average of €5.02/kg, with these bulls selling to an average of €4.73/kg.
"I would encourage farmers to try aim for the 350kg to 400kg market to be getting the best price per kilo,” said Ciaran.
Weanling heifers
The 78 weanling heifers on offer sold to a average of €1,850, with the demand for the top-end heifers still remaining firm.
Heifers sold to a top call of €4,320 for a Blode d’Aquitaine-cross heifer weighing 470kg.
Top-priced heifer weighing 470kg and born 20/06/25 sold for €4,330 (€9.19/kg).
“We had a good portion of the breeding-type heifers on offer and these sold from €6/kg up to €9/kg, with plenty of buyers for them.
"Your ordinary beef heifer remains a steady trade, with heifers weighing from 300kg to 400kg averaging €5.07/kg, with the top third of these selling for €6.11/kg.
"The top third of heifers weighing between 400kg and 450kg had the best day's selling, with these averaging €6.62/kg with the middle third selling to an average of €4.98/kg.”
This Charolais-cross heifer weighing 475kg and born 01/11/25 sold for €3,060 (€6.44/kg).
This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 390kg and born 05/11/25 sold for €3,520 (€9.03/kg).
This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 400kg and born 21/10/25 sold for €2,940 (€7.35/kg).
This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 410kg and born 01/09/25 sold for €2,840 (€6.93/kg).
This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 430kg and born 29/09/25 sold for €2,780 (€6.47/kg).
SHARING OPTIONS