The Irish Charolais Cattle Society hosted its first autumn sale this Saturday in Tullamore, with prices reaching five figures.

Securing the top price of €12,800 was Ballym Rocco from the Quinn family based in Edenderry, Co Offaly. This April 2020-born bull was earlier in the day awarded the senior championship under judges Eoin and Mark McGovern. Homebred on both sides, Rocco is a son of Ballym Mate that goes back to Goldstar Echo, with Cloverfield Excellent on the dam’s side.

Spirited bidding from two Irish AI companies saw the bull’s price rise, with auctioneer Tom Cox eventually dropping the hammer to Dovea AI.

This topped a solid day of trading, which saw seven bulls sell for €5,000 or more. Overall, 41 of the 60 bulls on offer sold to an average of €3,807, a rise of nearly €100 on the year.

There will be a full report in next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.