It was a herd located in Co. Monaghan that secured the top-priced heifer and a herd located near Drumfries in Scotland that secured the top-priced bull at Garrett and Lyndsey Behan’s Clonagh Herd special sale of heifers, bulls and embryos.
The online-only timed auction drew to a close on Monday (February 13) and at the close of the sale, it was lot 37, Noddy, a 15-month-old Simmental bull sired by Manor Park Handsome that took the top price of €7,800.
Noddy will now make his way to Scotland where he will find a new home with Clive and Harry Houldey’s Manor Park Simmentals.
The next highest price of the sale and the top-priced heifer was Lot 11, Nightlight Dora ET, who sold for €6,400. This heifer is a full sister to the record-breaking €52,000 Clonagh Lucky Explorer.
Top-priced bull and heifer in the Clonagh Herd sale:
This heifer was secured by the Treanor family’s Mainview Simmental Herd located near Scotstown, Co. Monaghan.
The sale was titled ‘Valentines Vixens’ and took place in association with with MartEye, Mid Tipp Mart in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and Harrison and Hetherington (H and H) Borderway Mart in Carlisle, Scotland.
According to MartEye statistics there was a clearance of over 80% with the 50 lots of bulls, heifers and embryos on offer, with buyers from across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland securing livestock from the sale.
Speaking to Agriland after the event, Garrett Behan said the sale average for the heifers was approximately €3,400 and the sale average of the bulls was just short of €4,500.
He said there was “a huge geographical spread” with buyers from the very north of Scotland to the very south of Ireland all securing cattle in the timed auction.
Garrett thanked all who supported the sale and wished buyers the best of luck with their purchases. He outlined there are five heifers that are unsold and will not be reoffered for sale but there are four bulls that were unsold and are still up for sale.
Garrett added that Clonagh Herds will also have a selection of bulls on offer at the Irish Simmental Cattle Society’s premier sale in Roscommon on Saturday, March 25.