There were 242 calves for sale at Ballymena Mart in Co Antrim on Good Friday, with strong, well-conditioned calves in demand with bidders.

A large proportion of dropped calves for sale were Limousin-bred, with the Limousin society running a show before the sale. In general, dropped Limousin bull calves sold for £280 to £300, with heifers selling for slightly less.

Dropped calves

There continued to be a wide range in prices, with strong calves that appear to have been well-reared fetching the best prices.

A strong batch of one-month-old Hereford calves met a lively trade, with bulls selling from £245 to £295.

Other Hereford bull and heifer calves on the day sold from £150 to £250. Friesian bull calves were scarce on the ground, with the strongest on offer making £100.

Angus calves sold well, with a good batch of four week olds selling up to £290 for bulls and £255 for heifers. A strong five-week-old Shorthorn heifer calf sold well at £350.

A few continentals passed through the ring and made similar prices. Two Charolais bulls ready for weaning made £290 and £300 and a few Belgian Blues sold early on went for £240 to £270.

Weaned calves

There were a good number of older calves that have been weaned off milk on offer, which met a good trade. The best-selling were two Limousin-bred heifers out of Shorthorn cows that sold for £475 and £400.

The two heifers had potential for breeding stock and were around five months old. A Limousin bull and heifer of a similar age went for £460 and £445 respectively.

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