Crowds gathered at Mid Tipperary Co-Operative Livestock Mart in Thurles, Co. Tipperary for the annual Cream of Fleckvieh Sale.

There was over 70 head of stock between in-calf heifers and weanling heifers up for grabs.

The stock came from half a dozen of the best Fleckvieh breeders in Ireland.

Fleckvieh sale

There was a top price of €4,200 paid on the day, given for a January-2025-born heifer.

The heifer was bred by Cornelius Meade of Templemore, Co. Tipperary.

She was sired by Herzpower, one of the top-rated Fleckvieh bulls in Austria.

Her dam is projected to produce 7,619kg of milk at 3.26% fat and 3.33% protein in her third lactation this year.

The heifer has an Economic Breeding Index (EBI) of €8, with a milk sub-index of -€2 and a fertility sub-index of -€13, but it must be noted Fleckvieh breeders breed off the Austrian system known as Fleckscore, which does not translate directly to EBI.

The in-calf heifer is expected to calve down in late February 2027.

The next best price on the day was given for Meade Farm Triona, a March-2025-born full pedigree heifer.

The in-calf heifer, bred by Philip Meade of Co. Meath, is due to calve down with a heifer in early February next year.

She has an EBI of €6, with a milk sub-index of €35 and a fertility sub-index of -€31.

She was sired by Megastar P, and her dam produced 8,399kg of milk at 3.77% fat and 3.20% protein, equating to 580kg of milk solids (MS).

Some other top prices included;

€3,700 for Bannow Lena, an in-calf heifer with an EBI of €83, her dam produced 731kg of MS in her second lactation. She was bred by Sam Pierce of Co. Wexford;
€3,700 for Meade Farm Tamara 80, an in-calf heifer with an EBI of €20, her dam produced 950kg of MS. She was bred by Philip Meade of Co. Meath;
Philip Meade sold a further three in-calf heifers born in February 2025 for €3,650: Meade Farm Totsie (EBI -€9); Meade Farm Top Girl (EBI €11); and Meade Farm Gertrude (EBI €40).

Calves

18 Fleckvieh weanling calves also went up for sale on the day, with a top price of €2,250.

Rathbeale Edel Joker Bloom was the calf to make the top price in the ring.

She was bred by Padraig O'Scanaill of Swords, Co. Dublin, and was born in early February of this year.

The calf was sired by Edeljoker and has an EBI of €78; her dam is projected to produce 10,951kg of milk at 4.06% fat and 3.24% protein in her fifth lactation this year.

O'Scanaill also had the second best-selling calf of the day, with Rathbeale Der Beste Pavlova 3 going under the hammer for €1,720.

Rathbeale Der Beste Pavlova 3 was born in mid-February this year with an EBI of €118.

She was sired by GS Der Beste and came from Rathbeale Hendrof Pavlova, who is projected to produce 9,218kg of milk at 3.96% fat and 3.39% protein in her fourth lactation this year.

The selection of calves born between February 2026 and May 2026 averaged €1,454/head.