Last week’s special dairy sale at Nenagh Mart saw an entry of 150 heifers and cows on offer.

Mart manager Michael Harty said that the heifers on offer were exceptional, particularly the IHFA section of well-bred pedigree heifers.

He added that this section saw some of the highest prices of the sale, with many pedigree heifers selling from €2,000 to a top of €2,900/head.

Michael said that northern demand was lacking at the sale and the poor weather the previous week took a lot of buyers out of the running who would normally buy heifers.

With many farmers still having cows in and with facilities under pressure, buying wasn’t an option for them.

However, there was still strong demand right across the sale.

The main sale saw the average calved heifer sell for around €1,500/head. Having said that, there were a good share of calved and in-calf heifers that sold from €1,250 to €1,450/head, while better-quality heifers with better figures and high solids attracted slightly stronger prices of €1,500 to €1,700/head.

Commission rates for dairy sales are €20 to the buyer and €20 to the seller. The next dairy sale at Nenagh Mart will take place on Wednesday 21 March.