Freshly calved pedigree Holstein cows and heifers were a mixed trade at the monthly sale of dairy animals from Taaffe Auctions in Dungannon Mart.

Breeding stock with high volumes of milk and proven bloodlines saw greater buying interest, helping to push prices upwards of £3,000 on several occasions.

A good run of heifers sold above the £2,000 threshold, mainly for well-developed animals calved inside the last month and yet to reach peak output for this lactation.

Kicking off the day’s trading were three bulls from the Downpatrick-based Inch Herd. First up was an August 2022 born bull, with 92% Friesian bloodlines, which made £2,220.

That price was matched by a second Holstein-Friesian bull, while a third, pedigree Swedish Red bull sold for £1,850.

Fresh-calved heifers were next into the ring and after an extremely slow start, buying interest gradually sharpened and prices trended upward.

The pre-sale champion was Glenbrae Gerard Lily, a June 2021 born animal that calved on 12 November and was giving 30 litres daily, which sold for £1,850.

Topping the sale at £3,250 was Glenbrae Topsy Gesa, a 2019 born cow in her third lactation, having calved on 5 November and yielded 9,224 litres in her last lactation.

That was followed by Bellemont Invictus Idaline, a 2020 cow starting her second lactation, with the hammer falling at £3,200. She gave 10,145 litres in her first lactation.

The highest priced heifer on the day was Kilvergan Santos Erle 7, a December 2021 born animal that calved on 8 December. Strong bidding interest saw the hammer dropping at £3,120.