Saturday’s Christmas cracker bull sale at Elphin Mart went down a storm with one Kildare farmer.

“There was 2,000 people there,” he told The Dealer. “The car park was full of jeeps and trailers from Northern Ireland. They’re all getting out of milk because of Brexit and getting into sucklers. It’s the opposite of us – we’re getting out of sucklers and into milk.”

As soon as one man would stand up finished, another would sit down

The canteen was going all day, he said. “It was €12.50 for a Christmas dinner. You’d need the bucket on the front of that tractor to help you carry it. As soon as one man would stand up finished, another would sit down.”

He watched 10 Charolais bulls sell for around €6,000. He stood next to one man he knew who bid as far as €6,000 on a fine bull. “I told him not to lose it. If he’d bid another €100 he’d have got it. But he didn’t. He then bought a **** of a bull for €4,000.”