Cattle sale boom as mart trade is ‘flying it’

MARTS across the western region continue to report a buoyant trade for all types of cattle with ‘intense competition’ at the ringside for stock.

According to the IFA, factory procurement managers buying at the marts were paying well above what they were prepared to pay on the farm.

IFA National Livestock Chairman, Brendan Golden, said that the scope was there for the meat plants to increase prices ‘much faster than is currently the case’.

He pointed out that since early February, UK prices had increased further to a base R3 quote of £3.40 per kg. which he added was the equivalent of €4.22/kg including VAT in Ireland.

“The factory procurement managers and agents are rapidly chasing cattle on feed and trying to negotiate deals to pin down tighter supplies in the weeks ahead,” said Brendan Golden.

Tuam Mart Manager, Marion Devane, told the Farming Tribune that there had been a huge uplift in positivity in the cattle trade since the turn of the year.

“It really is across the board from weanlings to stores to heavier cattle and cull cows. There certainly has been an amazing turnaround since last Autumn when there was a lot of doom and gloom around.

“The agents are certainly very busy around the ring and very anxious to buy cattle, while for the lighter stock there is also a very strong farmer interest.

“While the weather mightn’t have been good over recent weeks, this hasn’t stopped farmers from buying in. The fact that there’s plenty of fodder available too is a help to the trade.

“Farmers who have spare capacity in their sheds have no worries about housing stock over the next month or six weeks when they have plenty of feed available to them,” said Marion Devane.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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