On Friday evening, farmers from all across the country made their way to Carrigallen Mart, where 54 super-quality in-calf heifers from local man Herbie Griffith went under the hammer.

Heifers met an exceptional demand, with many of these sourced from special sales across the country.

Heifers topped at €10,000 on the night for a Belgian Blue-cross heifer. Overall, seven heifers crossed the €7,000 price tag, with a further five selling above €6,000.

“We had buyers from everywhere. Heifers sold to as far away as Wicklow and we had a strong Northern Irish attendance on the night,” said mart manager Helen Kells.

“There was a good number of heifers bought by repeat customers, with a share of new faces around the ring as well," she added.

"The quality was super and that was reflected in the trade, with quality heifers with nice, coloured markings achieving the top prices.”

There was a clear focus on high-quality heifers on the night, with eight of the top 10 being Belgian Blue-cross heifers which weighing from 750kg up to 900kg.

A good share of heifers sold from €4,700/head up to €5,500/head. These typically weighed from 650kg up to 750kg, with Limousin and Belgian Blue-crosses dominating the makeup.

There was lots of eyes on the sale on Friday night, with over 2,200 people viewing on Martbids alongside a packed ringside.

Overall, 36% of heifers were purchased by online bidders, with 64% purchases ringside.

Watch

This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 950kg and born 16/02/23 sold for €10,000 (€10.53/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 865kg and born 12/02/23 sold for €9,000 (€10.40/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 855kg and born 09/09/23 sold for €8,000 (€9.36/kg).

This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 785kg and born 01/04/23 sold for €7,400 (€9.43/kg).

This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 740kg and born 30/12/23 sold for €6,500 (€8.78/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 750kg and born 26/04/24 sold for €5,600 (€7.47/kg).

This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 700kg and born 08/05/23 sold for €5,200 (€7.43/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 765kg and born 24/12/23 sold for €4,850 (€6.34/kg).