Breeding heifer sales remain in a positive light, with weanling heifers and maiden heifers hitting some very high prices in recent weeks.

Cavan farmer Jim Heery held a special sale of 40 Limousin and Belgian Blue heifers in Carrigallen Mart last Saturday in conjunction with the weekly weanling sale.

Heery has concentrated on breeding high-end sucklers over the last few years and his special sale always attracts a range of customers, from the local farmer looking for one or two replacements to the in-calf producers and young people looking for a heifer to show for the 2022 show season.

Saturday’s sale proved to be another exceptional trade, especially for the high-end heifers.

The 40 heifers averaged €1,850/head, with a top price of €4,400 for an August 2021-born Limousin heifer weighing 365kg. She was knocked down to a Scottish purchaser.

Interestingly, the mother of this heifer was purchased as an in-calf heifer at an on-farm Jalex sale in 2021 for £2,500 (€2,976).

Seven heifers were exported to NI and one makes its way to Argyll in Scotland. Ten of the heifers made between €2,000 and €3,000, with 22 of the heifers making between €1,500 and €2,000.

In the bull weanling ring, it was a similar story to the previous week, with good appetite for good-quality weanlings.

Short-keep bulls around the 500kg mark were in good demand, with a top of €1,490 being paid for a Charolais bull.

The general run of these 500kg+ bulls was around the €2.60/kg to €2.80/kg mark, with a number of big feeders fighting it out for stock.

Lighter bulls in the 400kg to 500kg bracket were also a solid trade, with a top of €1,440 being paid for a 465kg Limousin bull.

The biggest number of calves were in the 300kg to 400kg bracket and the tops here all crossed €3/kg, with the average price settling around the €2.80/kg mark.

Grass customers were also active for the lighter weanlings, with the 200kg to 300kg weanling coming in around €2.80/kg to €3/kg.

Lighter heifers in the 200kg to 300kg bracket were a similar trade, coming in at the same prices.

There was close to 400 suck calves sold on Saturday with good demand for older heavier calves with good exporter demand for Aberdeen Angus calves.