On Thursday 8 March, Templemore Mart in Co Tipperary held its annual spring show and sale, with a large entry of 636 animals on offer.
The trade peaked with a 30-month-old Charolais-cross Limousin bullock weighing 860kg that sold for €2,800 (€3.26/kg).
Strong ringside activity led to a 95% clearance rate, as buyers toughed it out against strong online contenders.
The benchmark was €3.00/kg for anything displaying quality, but it was crossed on a number of occasions.
There was just over 80 bullocks in the under-500kg weight category, where top-quality suckler-bred continental stock were in high demand, with Charolais bullocks peaking at €1,480, which was achieved for a yearling bullock weighing 435kg (€3.40/kg).
Other top prices
Other top prices in this section included a Limousin-cross bullock weighing 463kg that sold for €1,530 (€3.30/kg) and a Charolais-cross bullock weighing 430kg that hit €3.30/kg.
In the 500kg to 550kg weight range, the continental lots on offer typically sold from €3.00/kg upwards, while the traditional Hereford and Angus types fell just behind, averaging around €2.70/kg. In this section, the trade peaked at €3.33/kg for a pair of Limousin bullocks weighing 510kg.
Traditional bullocks in the over-600kg category achieved high prices, especially those bred from the suckler herd.
There was a select number of Belgian Blue bullocks also on offer in this section, which saw one bullock weighing 800kg sell for €2,590 (€3.24/kg), while the hammer fell for another weighing 700kg at €2,290 (€3.27/kg).
Heifer trade
The heifer trade at Thursday’s sale was also very positive, with a top call of €2,330 being paid for a 30-month-old Limousin-cross-Simmental heifer weighing 755kg (€3.09/kg).
A small selection of heifers weighing 300kg to 400kg were on offer and these lots typically sold from €2.50/kg to €2.90/kg, with some of the better-quality continental lots pushing on to just below €3.15/kg.
Top price in this section was €1,240, which was paid for a Charolais-cross heifer weighing 395kg.
Heavier heifers weighing from 400kg to 500kg were a slightly better sell, depending on type. However, the average price in this section hovered around €2.75/kg for traditional types and up to €3.00/kg for continental types.
Heavy heifers were again a favourite flavour, with Belgian Blue heifers hovering around the 580kg mark and achieving prices just north of €3.40/kg.