30-year anniversary sees Simmentals still a firm favourite

While specialised heifer sales are commonplace now, a dedicated portion of Simmental enthusiasts in the west of Ireland claim the title of being the longest-running such sale in the country, with this year marking the 30th Ballymote Mart Simmental heifer sale.

To mark the milestone sale, a special launch night was held in Murphys Hotel, Tubbercurry, on Friday 12 September, with a large number of old and new members and sellers in attendance on the night.

The original launch was done by the then-European agriculture commissioner Ray McSharry, who was unfortunately not in a position to join in the anniversary celebrations.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, James Murphy of the Western Simmental Club, which organises the sale, stated: "The original sale was the first specialised breeding heifer sale in the country and it has stood the test of time.

"There has always been a strong emphasis on quality over the years, with inspections done to ensure same is maintained.

"Despite the large drop in suckler number over the years, entries remain consistently around 180 every year, while last year we generated just over €250,000 in sales."

Criteria is set in place to ensure quality is maintained for the sale. To enter, one of the following conditions must be met:

In addition, all heifers must be Simmental or Simmental-cross on their passport, while all animals must be in the seller’s herd for a minimum of six months, all in-calf heifers must be in-calf to a registered Simmental bull and all heifers must never have had a calf previously.

The sale also dictates that entries must be export-eligible on day of sale, with export available on the day, while all entries are subject to pre-sale inspection before entered in the sales catalogue.

Export

Export is a very strong part of the sale every year, with 57 of the 170 entries last year exported to Northern Ireland. Prior to Brexit, a number of repeat buyers from Scotland attended every year, with 10 to 15 animals going there at each sale.

James explained: "The sale has become a very import part of the farming calendar every year, with second- and third-generation repeat buyers and sellers in attendance every year.

"In addition to our export market, buyers have come from all corners of Ireland, with heifers going to herds along the east and south coast, including Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford and Cork.

"The sale has survived the challenges brought by foot and mouth, the recession, COVID and Brexit, along with the challenges facing the suckler herd across Ireland.

"In 2020, COVID brought a significant challenge to marts and cattle sales. But with every dark cloud brings a silver lining; for the marts it was the arrival of online bidding.

"This opened up sale not just across Ireland but around the world. Our sale in 2020 saw a young west of Ireland man making use of online bidding while working in Australia."

Clearance in 2024 was 98%, with prices for in-calf reaching €4,050 for a 830kg heifer, €2,650 for a 555kg maiden heifer and €2,400 for 460kg weanling heifer.

The Western Simmental Club gives a €100 to the purchaser of the highest-priced in-calf and highest-priced per kg maiden and weanling heifers.

Charity auction

This year, to mark the 30th anniversary, there will be an auction of AI straws, with proceeds being divided between Western Simmental Club and Irish Motor Neuron Disease Association.

Murphy stated: "The club wish[es] to thank the AI companies for their sponsorship of straws for the auction."

Catalogue for the sale will be available on the Irish Simmental Society and Western Simmental Club Facebook pages in the next few days.

The sale takes place on Saturday 4 October in Ballymote Mart, with online bidding available through the Martbids system.