The majority of the livestock on offer was shown by the same seller with batches of in-calf cows, cows with calves at foot and young heifers for sale.

Around 80 heifers sold at strong prices given that most sorts were very plain in quality. Most calves were around 12 months old, were Angus- or Limousin-bred with dairy genetics, had conformation of O or R grade and weighed from 225kg to 275kg.

The plainest sorts sold for £400 to £430. These were lighter heifers that were finer in size and had more dairy genetics. Stronger sorts weighed around 300kg and sold for over £500, including an August 2015-born Limousin heifer that was still fine but had better conformation which sold for £540.

Vendor

The heifers were from the same vendor and were fairly uniform, but the number of movements and some of the ages varied between lots.

At the start of the sale, auctioneer Richard Beattie sold off five cows with calves at foot for the same vendor. Prices ranged from £975 for an April 2005-born Simmental cow with a Limousin bull calf to £1,380 for a July 2011 Charolais cow with a Limousin heifer calf.

Older cows made steady prices as in-calf cows and dry cows were sold. A May 2008-born Simmental cow that is scanned four to five months in-calf to the Charolais bull sold for £810 with a younger Limousin cow born in July 2012, which is also scanned in-calf to the same bull, selling for slightly more at £890.