The mart trade has seen a positive lift again this week, especially in the bullock and heifer rings. Negative sentiment in factory lairages had dampened the trade for some heavy cattle for the last few weeks, but that has all been left behind this week, with heavy cattle up 10c to 20c/kg on last week’s prices.
The mart trade has seen a positive lift again this week, especially in the bullock and heifer rings.
Negative sentiment in factory lairages had dampened the trade for some heavy cattle for the last few weeks, but that has all been left behind this week, with heavy cattle up 10c to 20c/kg on last week’s prices.
A tightening in the number of finished cattle available for slaughter has meant agents have a free hand again in buying heavy cattle.
This, combined with a very healthy live export trade and good farmer buying for grass, has meant that nearly all quality and weight categories have seen an increase in price this week.
Weanling exports are currently running 76% or almost 8,000 head over what they were at this point in 2024.
Live exports
Adult cattle exports have also seen a big rise, up over 5,000 head or 33% on the same period in 2024. This is mainly driven by an increase in live exports to Northern Ireland (NI).
The NI live export trade has seen an increase of over 7,000 head on the first four months of 2025, up 33% on 2024 and one of the largest increases ever seen in the first quarter.
The Spanish market for calves has seen huge growth in 2025, with almost 10,000 extra calves shipped to Spain so far in 2025 compared with 2024 numbers.
Top-quality heavy bullocks saw some of the largest increases this week, driven by factory-aligned finishers and agents buying for next-day kill.
Bullocks over 600kg were up by 24c/kg this week, coming in at €4.65/kg. Average-quality bullocks in the same weight bracket came in at €4.16/kg this week.
It was a similar story in the heifer rings, with top-quality heifers over 600kg up 8c/kg this week to €4.57/kg. Average-quality heifers in the same weight range were up 15c/kg to €4.15/kg.
In the weanling bull rings, top-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket came in at €5.29/kg this week, with average-quality weanlings in the same weight bracket selling for €4.58/kg, up 12c/kg on the previous week.
Weanling heifers also saw a big improvement on last week with top-quality weanling heifers in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket coming in at €5.18/kg this week, up 20c/kg on the previous week.
Elphin Mart had a special weanling sale last Monday, where a number of well-made Belgian Blue heifers hit €6/kg during the sale, with the vast majority of the top-quality weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket hitting over €5/kg.
Top call of the day in the heifer section went to an April 2023-born Limousin heifer weighing 590kg selling for €3,110 (€5.27/kg). This was followed by an April 2024-born Belgian Blue heifer weighing 455kg selling for €2,690 (€5.91/kg).
In the dry cow section, the best cows hit €4/kg, with a cull bull weighing 1,110kg hitting €4,000.
Elphin Mart manager Cairan Lynch said: “Weanlings remain a super trade, with the majority of weanlings sold going for export.
“Farmer buyers also had a very strong hand, with farmer buyers being particularly active for bull weanlings.”
Mart managers are reporting numbers of weanlings getting smaller in sales and with exporters still very active for stock, the trade will likely entice more and more autumn-born weanlings out earlier over the next few weeks and months.
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