The temperature rose to over 30°C last weekend in the sunshine, but in the shade of mart rings around the country, temperatures were also rising as factory agents drew their battle lines in trying to source sufficient supplies of factory-fit cattle for this week’s kill.

Last week’s kill dropped to just under 25,000 cattle and the instructions went out to agents on Friday evening to lift as many cattle as they could in marts to shore up dwindling supplies for this week’s kill.

This injected some energy into the trade, with rival agents clashing for the same cattle in many marts.

Marts continue to be very small in numbers and with more customers operating both ringside and online, this saw a rise in prices for heavy cattle in particular this week.

Creeping up

Weanling prices have also continued to creep up, especially export-quality bulls in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket.

Heavier bulls were a little easier this week, but coming off a very strong week last week.

Live exports continue to fly, with huge demand from Italy and Spain for Irish cattle.

The EU cattle herd is set to fall by up to 7% in 2025 and this reduction in numbers has created a big demand for weanlings and store cattle.

When we talk about bluetongue outbreaks, we always talk about the detrimental impact that an outbreak would have on live exports, but the mortality rate is also having a big impact in affected areas.

Exporters here are becoming increasingly concerned about price and availability as we head into the busy autumn period for weanling sales.

In terms of prices being paid, €6/kg is the new €4/kg, with top-quality weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket up €2/kg or €700/head on last year’s trading.

There is no sign of any let-up in demand, with supply being the only talking point at the moment.

The increased trade is causing some problems for marts, with some experiencing huge increases in daily and weekly turnovers in the last few months.

This may seem like a good problem, but the level of risk increases with more money exchanging hands. This has led to some marts doubling down on credit lines and implementing pay-on-the-day policies to avoid any issues in the future.

Aurivo Marts sent out a text message to all customers this week informing them of new rules applying to livestock purchases at all Aurivo marts from Tuesday 15 July. It also said that all buyers should contact their local mart manager in advance to arrange a new trading agreement.

More marts are expected to follow a similar line in the coming weeks. While it may be difficult for some to change to a pay-on-the-day policy, the level of risk at the moment is huge and it’s important that marts take the necessary steps to protect the long-term future.

Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that top-quality bullocks in the 600kg-plus category came in at €4.52/kg, up 13c/kg on the previous week.

Heavy heifers in the 500kg to 600kg weight bracket also saw a 13c/kg rise to €4.71/kg.

The weanling trade also kicked on , especially for lighter weanlings, with top-quality weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket coming in at €5.79/kg this week, up 11c/kg.

Heavy bull weanlings were back a touch on the previous week, with top-quality bulls in the 450kg-plus weight category coming in at €5.35/kg this week.

Top-quality heifer weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket saw a 16c/kg rise, coming in at €5.61/kg this week.