On Thursday 17 August, Gort Mart played host to its seasonal show and sale of Belgian Blue weanlings.
There were 325 weanlings presented for sale by farmers from four different counties.
The lots were met with a 90% clearance rate, as buyers from 19 counties travelled to snap up the quality lots on offer and they met strong opposition online.
The majority of the heifers sold were bought for showing and breeding purposes, while 60% of the bulls were purchased by live exporters.
The choice heifer lots sold to a high of €3,480 for a September 2022-born Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 500kg (€6.96/kg).
Notable prices
The prizewinning heifers reaffirmed the judge’s decision, with the first-prizewinner that was born in October 2022 and weighing 355kg selling for €3,040 (€8.56/kg).
Other notable prices included a whopping €3,380 for a January 2023-born AI-bred heifer weighing 355kg (€9.80/kg).
Another commendable price of €2,440 was paid for a July 2022-born heifer weighing 390kg (€6.26/kg).
The trade was excellent for the heifers throughout, with the majority of lots ranging from €3.20/kg to €4.50/kg.
The weanling bulls were certainly not outdone by their female counterparts, as a Belgian Blue-cross bull weighing 780kg sold for €2,300 (€2.95/kg).
Prizewinner
The first-prizewinner was a November 2022-born bull weighing 500kg that went on to sell for €1,750 (€3.50/kg).
Following closely behind was a December 2022-born second-prizewinner weighing 450kg that sold for €1,650 (€3.67/kg).
Other prices paid for top-quality lots included a January 2023-born bull weighing 370kg selling for €1,660 (€4.49/kg) and a September-born bull weighing 370kg securing a price of €1,600 (€4.32/kg).
The bull trade remained incredibly strong, with the majority of lots sitting comfortably in the €2.95/kg to €3.70/kg range.
Commenting on the sale, manager Bernie Fahy told the Irish Farmers Journal: “We were delighted with the quality of the stock brought forward by the producers and the equally excellent trade.
“The mart looks forward its autumn-born Limousin weanling show and sale on Thursday 24 August followed by autumn-born Charolais weanling on Thursday 31 August.”
