Gortatlea Mart in Co. Kerry has hosted a special show and sale of weanling bulls.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale last week Gortatlea Mart's Maurice Brosnan said there were a total of 935 head of weanlings, runners and calves on offer in the sale on Wednesday evening, August 20.

"They were picking out the best Belgian Blue calf and they had 20 picked out and any one of them could have won the prize," the mart manager said.

The top price in the sale went to a 410kg Belgian Blue bull that sold for €4,300 or €10.49/kg - bought by a farmer for showing.

Brosnan said: "There were both farmers and exporters active in the sale, the farmers were buying the good 'R+' Limousin and Charolais and were giving anything from €5-7/kg and after that it was all exporters from €6 up to €9.50/kg.

"I'd say the exporters had about 50% of the weanlings out of it. They definitely had over 400 cattle out of it, there was two exporters alone that had 150 anyway."

Commenting on the quality of the cattle shown in the sale, he said: "The weanlings are getting scarcer but the quality is getting better.

"They averaged €2,720/head, it was never before heard of. There is great upbeat on the suckler side of it."

There were approximately 350 cattle on offer at Drumshanbo Mart Co, Leitrim, on Friday evening, August 22.

There were three sale rings in action with a strong trade and high clearance across all three rings, according to mart manager Eoin Kane.

Sample heifer prices from the heifer sale at Drumshanbo Mart:

In the weanling bull sale, €1,920 was paid for a 270kg Charolais bull calf, with a good level of activity from both exporters and farmers at the bull ring.