It’s been a busy springtime for many pedigree breeders and farmers across the country who have turned out and turned up to sell and purchase top-quality pedigree bulls across many breeds.

Our livestock team have had a busy few months bringing you the latest from the weekly sales across the breeds and now that the spring sale season has officially come to an end, we take a look back at some of the key figures from each of the official breed society sales.

As we headed into what many people expected to be an uncertain 2023 sale season, I think it would be a fair comment that from the strong opening sales in mid-February, the sales continued with a positive and steady trend over the past four months.

Each week saw new records being smashed all over the country with impressive top price and sale averages.

  • *Note, for the purpose of this article, we reflected on sale statistics from official breed society standalone sales only.

    • Aberdeen Angus

    19 April 2023, Tullow Mart

  • Average: €3,374.
  • Clearance: 75%.
  • Top price €4,600 (Lisnafanna Desmond X058).

    • 26 April 2023, Mid Tipp Mart Thurles

  • Average: €3,591.
  • Clearance: 89%.
  • Top price: €5,000 (Goulding Philip Y280).

    • 4 May 2023, Central Auctions Nenagh

  • Average: €3,660.
  • Clearance: 100%.
  • Top price: €5,100 (Goulding Paddy Y312).

    • Shane Murphy, breed secretary of the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association, said: .“The spring bull sales can only be described as exceptional, with buyer confidence at an all-time high. We had more sales, so more breeders’ bulls were sold at public auction than ever before and these were also met with the strongest prices we’ve seen,” he said.

    Aubrac

    15 April 2023, GVM Marts Tullamore

  • Premier sale.
  • Average: €2,900.
  • Clearance: 36%
  • Top price: €4,000 (Turloughmore Supreme).

    • PJ Pollard, Irish Aubrac PRO, said: “The quality of the Aubrac stock on offer had customers biting at the bit to buy them. Their docile manner and good thrive and easy calving are traits all farmers look for in stock. We are seeing bigger demand year on year for breeding bulls and breeding females.”

    Turloughmore Supreme sired by Harmonieux and bred by Kevin O’Brien, Co Galway, was the highest-priced Aubrac bull sold at an official Irish Aubrac sale throughout the 2023 spring season. He sold for €4,500. \ Shanon Kinahan

    Charolais

    25 February 2023, GVM Marts Tullamore

  • Average: €4,510.
  • 2022 Average: €3,614.
  • Clearance: 70%.
  • Top price: €8,100 (Cloughbrack Sinbin and Roughan Speed).

    • 18 March 2023, Elphin Mart

  • Premier sale.
  • Average: €5,395 .
  • 2022 Average: €4,636.
  • Clearance: 87%.
  • Top price: €13,000 (Clenagh2 Sultan).

    • 22 April 2023, GVM Mart Tullamore

  • Average: €4,408.
  • 2022 Average: €4,053.
  • Clearance: 65%.
  • Top price: €9,000 (Cuillmore Tyson).

    • 6 May 2023, Tuam Mart

  • Average: €3,960.
  • 2022 average: N/A.
  • Clearance: 73%.
  • Top price: €5,400 (Caltun Ten Ten Twenty).

    • 27 May 2023, GVM Mart Tullamore

  • Average: €4,100.
  • 2022 Average: €4,044.
  • Clearance: 80%.
  • Top price: €6,600 (Rooskeynamona Theodore).

    • Nevan McKiernan, Irish Charolais Cattle Society breed secretary, said: “At official Charolais Society sales, we saw an increased demand for bulls with higher indexes and lower calving figures. Buyers were more selective in terms of physical quality. Myostatin genes are also starting to influence the trade – double F94L carriers especially. In summary, good bulls with high indexes and low calving figures attracted premium prices.”

    Clenagh2 Sultan sired by Clenagh Lyle and bred by the Quinn family, Co Clare, was the highest priced Charolais bull sold at an official Irish Charolais Cattle Society sale throughout the 2023 spring season. He sold for €13,000. \ Alfie Shaw

    Hereford

    25 March 2023, GVM Mart Tullamore

  • Premier sale.
  • Average: €4,000.
  • 2022 Average: €3,340.
  • Clearance: 70%.
  • Top price: €11,600 (Drumgoonpoll 1 Sydney).

    • 6 April 2023, Central Auctions Nenagh

  • Average: €3,700.
  • 2022 Average: €3,200.
  • Clearance: 74%.
  • Top price: €8,300 (Dunsinane Ned 2).

    • 14 April 2023, GVM Marts Kilmallock

  • Average: €3,200.
  • 2022 Average: €2,750.
  • Clearance: 98%.
  • Top price: €5,100 (Clondrinapoll 1 1375th).

    • 18 May 2023, Central Auctions Nenagh

  • Average: €3,300.
  • Clearance: 88%.
  • Top price: €5,100 (Dromona Oscar)

    • Louise Callan, Irish Hereford Breed Society Secretary, said: “The Hereford spring sales couldn’t have gone any better this year with many more dairy farmers opting for a beef breed to run with cows. Dairy farmers were seeking a strong two-year-old Hereford bull for the most part and this drove strong sales from the very beginning of the year.

    Drumgoonpoll 1 Sydney sired by Fabb Northern Star and bred by Aidan and Brendan McCabe, Co Cavan, was the highest-priced Hereford bull sold at an official Irish Hereford Breed Society sale throughout the spring season. He sold for €11,600. \ Tricia Kennedy

    “Given the good year the Hereford had last year right through also left bulls scarce this year, in particular strong bulls, so that drove the price and demand also. Good prices for Hereford cross calves in marts are also a factor.”

    Irish Angus

    3 May 2023, Mid Tipp Mart Thurles

  • Average: €2,85
  • Clearance: 79%.
  • Top price: €4,100 (Carrowboy Vernon).

    • Carrowboy Vernon sired by Rawburn Boss Hogg and bred by Alan and Frank Gibbons, Co Roscommon, was the highest-priced Irish Angus bull sold at an official Irish Angus Cattle Society spring sale throughout the 2023 spring season. He sold for €4,100.

    Limousin

    11 March 2023, Elphin Mart

  • Premier sale.
  • Average: €4,200.
  • 2022 average: €4,170.
  • Clearance: 78%.
  • Top price: €8,000 (Keltic Seimon).

    • 13 April 2023, Athenry Mart

  • Average: €4,000.
  • 2022 average: €3,415.
  • Clearance: 88%.
  • Top price: €9,100 (Drumline S 1185).

    • 1 May 2023, Central Auctions Roscrea

  • May premier sale.
  • Average: €5,480.
  • 2022 average: €4,564.
  • Clearance: 97%.
  • Top price: €10,000 (Liverpool Salah).

    • 20 May 2023, Roscommon Mart

  • Average: €4,011.
  • 2022 average: €3,670.
  • Clearance: 82%.
  • Top price: €6,400 (Clontown Sugar Daddy).

    • Liverpool Salah, sired by Plumtree Fantastic and bred by Michael and Kevin Graham, Co Roscommon, was the highest-priced Limousin bull sold at an official Irish Limousin Cattle Society sale throughout spring sale season. He sold for €10,000. \ Alfie Shaw

    Pat Mulvehill, Irish Limousin CEO, said: “The value proposition offered by a quality pedigree Limousin sire to the commercial suckler farmer includes exceptional feed conversion efficiency, daily liveweight gain, killout percentage and primal meat yield, with the added bonus of lower methane emissions. It was great to see this reflected in the record prices realised at this year’s Limousin Society’s spring sales.”

    Salers

    28 March 2023, Gort Mart

  • Average: €2,695.
  • 2022 average: N/A.
  • Clearance: 80%.
  • Top price: €3,080 (Carrentubber Boston).

    • Seamus Nagle, Irish Salers PRO, said: “Demand for heifers was underpinned by customers looking for a cow that has a large pelvis to calve easily, fertility to go back in-calf and enough milk to rear a heavy weanling. Commercial farmers using Charolais bulls are driving demand for Salers cows to produce high-value golden Charolais x weanlings.

    “Customers purchasing bulls were buying on the criteria of easy calving and the ability to breed quality replacement females.”

    Carrentubber Boston sired by Montesquieu and bred by David Kirrane, Co Sligo, was the highest-priced Salers bull to be sold at an official Irish Salers Cattle Society sale throughout the spring sale season. He sold for €3,080. \ Shanon Kinahan

    Simmental

    25 March 2023, Roscommon Mart

  • Premier sale.
  • Average: €4,209.
  • 2022 average: €3,840.
  • Clearance: 60%.
  • Top price: €16,200 (Coose Nebraska P).

    • 28 April 2023, GVM Mart Tullamore

  • Average: €4,420.
  • 2022 average: €2,921.
  • Clearance: 75%.
  • Top price: €12,200 (Bighill Plato ET).

    • Peadar Glennon, Irish Simmental Society general manager, said: “The Simmental bull sales this spring were driven by a demand from top suckler farmers to produce high-performing cattle that can reach 400kg+ carcase weight at under-16 months.

    Coose Nebraska P, sired by Coose Lincoln ET and bred by John and Ronan Touhy, Co Clare, was the highest-priced Simmental bull sold at an official Irish Simmental Cattle Society sale throughout the spring sale season. He sold for €16,200. \ Shanon Kinahan

    “This spring also saw an increased demand from dairy farmers for quality Simmental bulls. This increased demand is being driven by the premium prices Simmental X calves are commanding in the sales rings.

    “Finally, some of our top bulls in terms of quality and genetics were again purchased for export to the UK. It would have been great if some of these bulls were retained in Ireland either in pedigree herds or in AI.”