With increasing numbers of farmers participating in the Organic Farming Scheme, the demand to buy and sell organic cattle has also increased, with a number of marts now running special sales across the country.

Roscommon has one of the highest number of organic farmers in the country now and Elphin Mart decided to commence organic sales which will take place on a monthly basis to service the market.

Top call went to a March 2023-born Limousin bullock weighing 345kg and selling for €1,410 (€4.09/kg.

A lot of the organic weanlings in the sale sold from €3.50/kg to €4/kg. Traditional breeds were a little lower, with an April 2022-born Aberdeen Angus heifer weighing 460kg selling for €1,380 (€3/kg).

Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said “We were delighted with the trade. It’s a building process and we would hope to grow numbers over time.

“We had a lot of customers who summer graze cattle and who needed to buy organic cattle to meet the minimum stocking requirements as part of the scheme.

“We had a number of conventional non-organic weanling buyers there as well, so we were delighted with the trade.”

Elphin Mart will hold its next special heifer and bullock sale on Wednesday 17 April and its next organic sale on Monday 13 May.