There was a strong demand for lots on offer at the dispersal sale of the dairy herd of RJM Dunlop from Gleno, Larne, at Ballymena mart last Friday.

Topping the sale at £2,000 was a 41-month-old pedigree Holstein cow that was sired by Co-op Oman Loydie. She calved on 19 April, was yielding 49.9 litres the day before the sale and yielded 7,300 litres in her last lactation.

Most lots on offer were pedigree Holstein with some non-registered Holsteins and Montbeliarde crossbred cows also on show. Overall, 67 cows went for an average price of £1,010.

Demand was strongest for well-bred Holsteins with high-yielding figures. Making the second highest price of £1,720 was a 44-month-old pedigree Holstein that calved in late November and is projected to yield 12,103 litres this lactation. The Gran-J Oman McCormick daughter is due to calve in late October to Co-op Bosside Massey.

Another cow in calf to Massey sold for £1,520. The 53-month-old Ufm-Dubs Altaesquire daughter calved in late December, is projected to yield 11,375 litres this lactation and is due to calve in early December.

The Montbeliarde cross cows also sold well,with a three quarter-bred Montbeliarde selling for £1,480. The 54-month-old cow calved in early November, is projected to yield 9,668 litres this lactation and is due to calve in September to Morningview Aftershock. In-calf heifers were a steady trade, with 31 heifers due to calve down at two years old to a Hereford stock bull selling for an average price of £730. The 26-month-old pedigree Hereford bull was sold at the end of the sale for 1,780gns.

The highest-priced in-calf heifer was a Holstein X Montbeliarde that is close to calving which sold for £1,000. Two heifers that were five months in-calf both made the next best price of £850. One was a Welcome Glenton daughter that was 25% Montbeliarde-bred and the other was a pedigree Holstein sired by Killane Levin.

Maiden heifers were sold to an average price of £451 across 16 lots. Prices were fairly steady with spring 2015-born heifers selling for around £650 and then prices dropping back to between £270 and £380 for November and December-born lots.