Camera at the Mart attended the annual show and sale of Charolais-bred calves at Markethill Livestock Mart last week. The sale is now firmly established as one of the stand-out weanling sales across the province, with both sale rings packed to capacity.

This Charolais bull calf, born March 2019 and weighing 388kg, sold for £970.

Cattle quality was exceptional and both factors resulted in the large entry of 540 calves being met with intense buying demand.

This Charolais bull calf, born April 2019 and weighing 374kg, sold for £950.

Commenting on the sale, mart manager Hampton Hewitt said there was a big turnout of repeat buyers from previous years competing hard for cattle and this underpinned a terrific trade across the entire sale.

This third-prizewinning Charolais bull calf, born May 2019 and weighing 332kg, sold for £890.

In the pre-sale show, the male champion title was awarded to Noel Graham, Annahilt, Lisburn. The same animal was awarded the supreme championship by judge Nigel Matchett.

The champion female calf was bred by Kyle McCall, Armagh, and went on to claim the reserve supreme championship.

The reserve male champion calf, born March 2019 and weighing 478kg, was unsold at £1,250.

Topping the sale was the overall champion. This February-born male calf weighed 362kg and sold for £1,300, or 359p/kg.

The reserve male champion was a pedigree Charolais calf and this 478kg animal was bid to £1,250, but left unsold.

The male and overall champion calf, born February 2019 and weighing 362kg, sold for £1,300.

The third-prize male calf was a five-month-old animal weighing 332kg and sold to £890, or 268p/kg.

Other stand-out prices saw several top-quality bull calves weighing 350kg to 390kg making over £1,000.

There was a big run of bull calves selling above £900, with stand-out lots being a 374kg animal which made £950 and a 360kg calf making £960.

This Charolais heifer calf, born January 2019 and weighing 384kg, sold for £925.

Male calves in general sold from 230p/kg rising to 317p/kg, with a 240kg calf making £760.

In the heifer ring, prices reached £1,100 for the March-born champion female animal which weighed 360kg, making 305p/kg.

The champion heifer calf, born March 2019 and weighing 360kg, sold for £1,100.

The second-placed heifer was a 370kg April-born animal and sold to a top price of £1,120 (303p/kg), with the third-prizewinning heifer, a March-born calf weighing 324kg, selling for £1,000, or 309p/kg. Other stand-out prices for heifer calves saw a February-born animal weighing 384kg selling for £925 and an April-born animal weighing 318kg making £900, with similar lots around 300kg making upwards from £840.

The reserve heifer calf, born March 2019 and 370kg, sold for £1,120.

The third-prizewinning heifer calf, born March 2019 and weighing 324kg, sold for £1,000.

This Charolais heifer calf, born December 2018 and weighing 402kg, sold for £900.

This Charolais heifer calf, born February 2019 and weighing 396kg, sold for £890.

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