Carrigallen Mart’s annual weanling heifer sale on Saturday saw huge demand for quality continental heifer weanlings, with the pre-sale show seeing top-end heifers.

Demand was firm for U and R grading heifers, with all classes of weight trading in excess of the same period last year.

Heifer weanlings from 200kg to 300kg sold to an average of €3.18/kg, up 23c/kg from the 2022 figure of €2.95/kg. One-hundred-and-eighty-eight heifers weighing between 300kg and 400kg made up the bulk of the sale, with farmers and exporters battling hard, with the overall trade returning a €3.25/kg average, up from €2.82/kg on last year.

Top-end heifers

Surprisingly, heifers from 400kg to 500kg not only took the largest jump on their 2022 price, but also recorded the highest average price per kg.

Heifers in this weight bracket sold to an average of €3.44/kg, up from €2.79/kg for the same period last year. A mix of farmers purchasing for breeding, noted heifer producers and exporters were active for the top end heifers on offer.

The top price of the sale was a 13-month-old Belgian Blue-cross heifer weighing 480kg which sold for €2,820 (€5.81/kg). Overall clearance rate in the heifer ring was 90%, with lesser-type lighter heifers making up the bulk of unsold lots.