Carnew Mart in Co. Wicklow hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Saturday, April 25, with over 1,000 head of cattle, while the calf sale on Friday, April 24 had almost 900 calves on offer.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Carnew Mart's David Quinn said that the trade is "remaining very strong across all categories".

"Demand was particularly firm for beef cattle among wholesalers and northern buyers, with prices continuing to rise week on week."

Some of the top cow prices from the sale:

924kg Limousin cow sold for €3,750 or €4.06/kg;
820kg Parthenaise cow sold for €3,350 or €4.09/kg;
782kg Charolais cow sold for €2,910 or €3.72/kg;
682kg Parthenaise cow sold for €2,860 or €4.19/kg;
790kg Limousin cow sold for €3,300 or €4.18/kg.

Beef cows sold for up to €4.19/kg, while beef heifers exceeded the €5.00/kg mark on the day.

Beef bullocks were especially strong, with grass-type cattle in great demand, reaching prices of up to €5.84/kg.

Some of the top bullock prices from the sale:

770kg Limousin bullock sold for €3,120 or €4.05/kg;
820kg Limousin bullock sold for €3,100 or €3.78/kg;
720kg Charolais bullock sold for €2,700 or €3.75/kg;
728kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,880 or €3.96/kg;
373kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,180 or €5.84/kg;
293kg Belgian Blue bullock sold for €1600 or €5.46/kg.

Quinn said: "This improvement in the finished trade filtered through to the store market.

"Forward store cattle met a more lively demand, with prices of up to €5.48/kg."

Some of the top heifer prices from the sale:

634kg Limousin heifer sold for €2,940 or €4.64/kg;
686kg Charolais heifer sold for €2,770 or €4.04/kg;
Two 340kg Limousin heifers sold for €1,900 or €5.59/kg;
Three 281kg Limousin heifers sold for €1,510 or €5.37/kg;
286kg Charolais heifer sold for €1,530 or €5.35/kg.

"Lighter grass cattle continued to meet a strong trade, with many farmers actively sourcing this type around the ring," Quinn said.

He added that there was a good entry of bulls on the day with demand described as "remaining high", supported by a large customer base of exporters.

Some of the top bull prices from the sale:

740kg Limousin bull sold for €2,900 or €3.92/kg;
734kg Limousin bull sold for €2,720 or €3.71/kg;
604kg Belgian Blue bull sold for €2,470 or €4.09/kg;
514kg Limousin bull sold for €2,330 or €4.53/kg;
298kg Charolais bull sold for €1,840 or €6.17/kg;
268kg Blonde d'Aquitaine bull sold for €1,580 or €5.90/kg;

"Bulls in the 250–350kg range reached particularly strong prices per kilo, while heavier bulls also remained in great demand," Quinn said.

Calf sale at Carnew Mart

A total of 870 calves were on offer at Carnew Mart on Friday (April 24) with trade described as "remaining very strong throughout".

Quinn said that the lighter calves in the sale "saw significant improvements, with prices up €50-€70/head on previous weeks".

He said that the heavier-type calves also met a solid demand, with quality bull and heifer calves, particularly Limousin, Belgian Blue, Hereford, and Charolais-sired calves selling for between €760-€920/head.