Rathfriland Mart returned last Friday 13 January with a strong entry of stock, which were met with a strong trade and strong demand.

In the bull calf ring, Aberdeen Angus-cross calves typically sold from £90 to £175, while Hereford-cross calves sold from £50 to £125.

Belgian Blue-cross bull calves sold very well, typically ranging from £200 to £295 while Friesian bull calves averaged £50.

Also in the bull ring was a strong entry of Aberdeen Angus-crosses, which saw runners fetch prices up to £420 and Friesian runners selling from £360 to £390.

Dropped calves

Aberdeen Angus dropped heifer calves fetched from £70 to £245 from the beef herd, while Belgian Blue-crosses sold from £190 to £215.

Limousin runner heifers secured on average £400 to £450, while Aberdeen Angus-cross runner heifers sold from £400 to £455 also.

Weanling bulls were met with a steady trade on the day, with Charolais-crosses selling particularly well, typically selling from £2.72/kg to £3.24/kg, while Belgian Blue-crosses sold in the range of £2.28/kg to £2.52/kg.

Traditional types

More traditional types in this category, such as Aberdeen Angus-cross, bulls sold from £2.15/kg to £2.83/kg.

Continental-type weanling heifers sold well, with Charolais heifers commanding £2.05/kg to £2.59/kg.

Belgian Blue weanlings generally sold in the price range of £2.30/kg to £2.52/kg, which was very similar to their male counterparts.

Strong Hereford-cross weanling heifers sold up to £2.10/kg, with lighter types from the dairy herd selling from £1.46/kg.

In the heifer ring, Charolais-cross heifers sold for an average of £2.65/kg, with one Charolais-cross heifer weighing 526kg selling for £1,400.

Stabiliser sale

The sale also saw a small entry of Stabiliser heifers weighing in the range of 580kg to 610kg that sold from £1,350 to £1,580.

Limousin heifers also sold well, reaching prices of £2.21/kg to £2.92/kg.

The sale also saw a small entry of bullocks, which saw an average price of £2.55/kg paid for Belgian Blue-cross bullocks weighing an average of 450kg.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, mart manager Jim McCrum said: “Friday saw a good show of top-quality stock here in Rathfriland. The trade was very strong and the quality was outstanding.”