Christmas beef orders boost prices

Christmas beef orders boosted trade and prices at Bishops Castle Auction’s final store cattle sale of the year on December 9.

Auctioneers Halls reported a good entry of 300 cattle, which included 50 feeding bulls, 15 in-calf heifers and a cow and calf.

Overall steers averaged 160p per kilo and £700 per head with highs of £960 for a 540 kilo Blonde D’Aquitaine from Messrs M. E. and G. E. Jones, Hafod and 204p per kilo for a 420 kilo Limousin from J. G. and S. E. Robinson, Cefn Du.

Heifers averaged 152p per kilo and £670 per head and peaked at £880 for a Blonde D’Aquitaine also from Messrs M. E. and G. E. Jones and 203p per kilo for a 355 kilo British Blue from G. E. Morris, Meadowtown.

A special entry of 15 well-bred Limousin cross and British Blue cross in-calf heifers from M. P. Jones and Son, Trelerney created a lot of interest to average £945, with highs of £1,080, £1,060 and £980.

A British Blue eight-year-old cow with a Charolais cross bull calf presented by A. H. Jones and Son, Acton Scott sold at £950.

Fifty feeding bulls were presented and sold well to a good crowd of specialist buyers, producing an overall average of £520. Top four prices went to Aston Hall Farms, Aston Hall, with the best a 520 kilo Limousin that sold for £668.