Portumna Mart’s weekly general cattle sale saw bullocks weighing 400kg to 500kg greatest in numbers, with top-quality bullocks selling on average for €2.78/kg, up 2c/kg on last week, while below-average bullocks sold at 70c/kg less than this.

Forward store or lighter finished types were the real cream of the sale, with top-quality bullocks weighing 500kg to 600kg selling to an average of €3.11/kg, up 14c/kg.

Heavy bullocks were lower in numbers, with prices down between 7c and 17c/kg, with bullocks in the top third selling for €2.76/kg.

Farmer demand dominated the heifer ring. Light heifers from 350kg to 400kg saw a marginal increase for average- and lesser-quality types, with prices up 5c to 8c/kg on these, with a slip of 8c/kg for top-quality lots.

A similar trend was seen in heifers weighing 400kg to 500kg, with average and below-average heifers up 6c to 14c/kg on the week prior, while top-quality lots slipped by 1c/kg.

Heifers in the 500kg to 600kg weight bracket saw an increase in price throughout quality, with heifers in the top third selling for €2.92/kg, up 5c/kg, while average and below-average heifers were up 11c to 12c/kg on last week.