Gort Co-Operative Mart in Co. Galway hosted its annual show and sale of autumn-born Belgian Blue sired (BBX) weanlings on Thursday (August 13).

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Bernie Fahey from Gort Mart said that there were 180 heifers and approximately 60 bulls in the sale last Thursday.

She said that there were approximately 90 heifers in the autumn-born section, with a breeding section after that also with heifers from 18-24 months-of-age.

In the pre-sale show, the first-placed heifer was owned by Pat O'Rourke from Ennis, Co. Clare.

The Champion bull went to an entry belonging to Pat Quinn from Kinvara, Co. Galway.

The Champion heifer entered the ring weighing 470kg and secured the top price of the sale at €7,800.

The Champion bull weighed 525kg and sold for €3,000 or €5.71/kg.

The Reserve Champion bull weighed 490kg and sold for €2,700.

Fahey described the trade for heifers at the sale as "on fire".

Some of the other top heifer prices from the sale included:

A 415kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer sold for €6,520 or €15.71/kg;
A 480kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer sold for €6,120 or €12.75/kg;
A 405kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer sold for €5,800 or €14.32/kg;
A 485kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer sold for €5,600 or €11.55/kg;
A 395kg Belgian Blue-cross heifer sold for €5,000 or €12.66/kg.

Commenting on the reach of the sale, Fahey said: "We had sellers from 10 different counties as far a field as Wexford and we had buyers from 19 different counties including Northern Ireland.

She noted that there were four different buyers from Northern Ireland that were "very active" in the sale.

Export customers were also competing for the bulls in the sale, while Fahey added that there was also a notable number of one-off customers at the sale looking to buy a suitable breeding or show heifer.

She said the autumn weanling sales are off to a good start this year, with the quality of the calves on offer in the sale "absolutely super".

Gort Mart is set to host a show and sale of Limousin-sired (LMX) autumn-born weanlings on Thursday, August 20.

Fahey expects a bigger entry of bulls in the sale this coming Thursday.

She said that bull beef feeders are keen for all types of bulls, while exporters are particularly strong for the top-end 'E' and 'U' grade bulls.

On Thursday, August 27, the mart will host a show of autumn-born Charolais and other-breed weanlings.