Gortatlea Mart – Cattle Prices
Last week marked “the busiest week ever seen” at Gortatlea Mart, with sales over three days, according to its manager Maurice Brosnan.
The mart manager reported that Wednesday dairy sales met with a “tremendous” trade with a full clearance with prices for quality stock from €2,000-€2,600.
He added that at its calf, runner and weanling sale, exporters were “extremely anxious” as they forked out between €3.00-€4.00/kg for suitable lots.
Thursday then saw its sale of cows and stock bulls with prices to €3,380 in the cull cow ring.
Brosnan commented: “Coloured cows met with an exceptional trade with top-quality cows exceeding €3.50/kg, topping with a super Charolais cow 825kgs at €3,380 or €4.10/kg and a Limousin-cross cow, weighing 695kgs at €2,980 or €4.29/kg.”
“Store cows also met with a brisk trade with some tremendous prices for continental and dairy store cows,” he commented.
“Friday’s sale of heifers, young bulls and bullocks continued where Thursday’s sale ended with quality beef heifers regularly selling well in excess of €3.00/kg.”
He reported “exceptional” demand for all types of stores and beef cattle “regularly” made between €3.00-€4.00/kg, while a “large number” of Aberdeen-Angus-types exceeded the €3.00/kg mark.
Meanwhile, continental beef and store bullocks also met with an “exceptional” trade with “some very fancy” prices paid – a pair of Belgian Blue-cross bullocks, weighing 792kgs, at €3,020 or €3.81/kg.
Brosnan added: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all sellers and buyers of all stock forward this week and throughout the year – a fantastic show of stock on all three days met with a tremendous trade.”
“Gortatlea Mart is hitting a big milestone this year as it is officially opened 14 years,” he explained.
“We would like to make a special mention to recognise the mart staff. Gortatlea Mart would not be the success it is today without its fantastic auctioneers and yard and office staff,” he concluded.
Interview with Brosnan
Previously, we interviewed Maurice Brosnan, who took over the management and ownership of Gortatlea Mart in January 2014 from his late uncle, Sean, aged 76-years-old.
Maurice left school at seventeen years of age to work for the late Jack McAuliffe as a pig farm manager in 1986 for nine years, looking after a 100-cow dairy herd and a 250-sow unit.
“I tried to take Fridays off to work with my uncle Sean at Gortatlea Mart; Jack always encouraged me to buy my own cattle. He also had a big dairy herd the year my father died, and he purchased all the in-calf heifers my father had ready for sale,” Maurice Brosnan told That’s Farming.
“After the untimely death of my father, I became more involved with farming and the cattle business. My late father and uncle Sean were well-known in the cattle trade and worked together as the Brosnan Brothers.”
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