One of the biggest talking points among farmers – particularly in the beef sector, this week, has been the 2024 Carrick Winter Fair and the phenomenal prices that weanling heifers made in the sale.
The pre-sale show of commercial breed (or cross-bred) heifers took place on Sunday, November 24, and the sale itself took place the following day (Monday, November 25) with crowds of cattle enthusiasts from across Ireland, the UK and further afield flocking to the event at the Showgrounds, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
Day one of the event took place on Monday, November 18, and included the show and sale of all adult cattle and weanling bulls.
Several people have commended the quality of the heifers on show, with some onlookers claiming “it is as fine a show of commercial-bred heifer weanlings as you would see anywhere in the world” and it seemed the prices achieved on the day reflected this.
Now that the dust has settled from the annual event, Agriland took a look at the top 11 priced heifers from the sale.
The table below details the top 10-priced weanling heifers at the 2024 Carrick Winter Fair:
Lot No. Breed Sire Weight Price Price per Kilo Seller 407 LMX (MBP) 345kg €30,000 €86.96 Derrick Forde, Co. Galway 515 BBX (VDC) 420kg €18,000 €42.85 McNamee Family, Co. Donegal 506 BBX (BB8337) 380kg €17,200 €45.26 Enda McGee, Co. Westmeath 438 BBX (BB8337) 525kg €15,000 €28.57 David Wharton, Co. Offaly 513 BBX (S1109) 440kg €14,000 €31.81 Kate Norris, Co. Donegal 375 BBX (LM9706) – €12,600 – Jack O’Meara, Co. Offaly 519 BBX (DAFYD) 450kg €10,200 €22.66 Shane Maguire, Trim, Co. Meath 427 BBX (BYU) 570kg €10,000 €17.54 Billy Dunne, Co. Laois 342 LMX (LM9706) 465kg €10,000 €21.50 Jack O’Meara, Co. Offaly 474 BBX (S1109) 450kg €10,000 €22.22 Cian McGloin, Co. Leitrim 411 LMX (LM9706) – €10,000 – McNamee Family, Co. Donegal
A total of 11 heifers made €10,000 or more in the sale and as can be seen from the table above, Belgian Blue sires dominated the top prices in the sale followed by Limousin which also managed to take the overall top price of the day and set a new record price.
There were approximately 400 weanling heifers on show at the two-day event and from the sale, over 30 were exported to Northern Ireland with six going to Scotland and two going to England.
Click here to read more about the Carrick Winter Fair.