There was standing room only at Saturday's show and sale of pedigree Charolais bulls in Elphin Mart, Co. Roscommon. The annual sale has built up a reputation of attracting the best Charolais bulls in the country and is always a highlight in the pedigree calender.

Judge Kevin Thomas from Wales adjudicated in the pre sale show and he tapped out John G McDermott's Ballynabreen Nevin, an August 2017-born Goldstar Echo bull for his senior champion. He had Prime Roberto and Doonally New bloodlines behind the dam and a terminal index of €152 coupled with an easy calving figure of 6.9%.

For his reserve senior champion he selected Edward Walsh's bull Aghafad Nickel ET by Jumper, this September 2017-bull was out of a Dromiskin Phoenix dam going back to an Ecrin grand dam. He had a terminal index of €149 and a calving difficulty figure of 6.7%. The junior championship went to Co. Monaghan to well-known breeder David Erskine. The Ashleigh Admiral sired Fieldview Nathaniel had Prime Roberto and Excellent bloodlines behind the dam. He had one of the highest terminal indexes in the sale at €169 and a calving difficulty figure of 9.3%.

The junior reserve title went to the Goldstar herd owned by Martin Ryan from Tipperary. The October born Goldstar Nobility was by Virtouse and out of a Goldstar Echo dam. Nobility had a terminal index of €116 and a calving difficulty figure of 8%. Overall the sale produced a 74% clearance for bulls put forward for sale at an average price of €4,130, down €450 on last year's December sale.

Watch out for Shane Murphy's full sale report available later today on www.farmersjournal.ie and in this week's print edition of the Irish Farmers Journal out on Thursday