One of the first dairy clearance sales of the year took place in Corrin Mart in Fermoy, Co. Cork, with a top price of €5,800 paid in the ring.

A total of 93 females from the Bridepark Herd in Conna, Co. Cork went under the hammer, and, with a 100% clearance rate, the herd grabbed an average price of €3,387 on Friday (January 16).

"Massive crowds" gathered around the ring to get their chance to buy into the high-performing pedigree herd with the mart's dairy sale adviser, John Foley stating that "there was some buzz around the place".

He said: "It was a great sale, a fantastic herd of cows, some of which are in the top 10 EBI in the country".

According to Foley it was a herd of very well-bred cows and they were not "big massive cows but instead nice commercial pedigrees".

"There is demand out there, there's no doubt about that, despite the price of milk getting depressed," he added.

Sale

Auctioneer John Murphy took to the rostrum and kicked off the sale with Bridepark Diamond Lily, a six-year-old cow with an EBI €266 selling for €3,250.

However, she was clearly trumped by Bridepark Star Karen, a phenomenal cow with an astonishing EBI of €318, a figure that puts her in the top 100 in the country.

The two-year-old heifer, due to calve down this February, went under the hammer at €5,800.

The high prices did not stop there, with two year Bridepark Star Lily following closely at €5,150, also coming with an EBI of €287.

At €191 EBI, Bridepark Ronald Pippa, made €4,650 while Bridepark Olaf Pippa went for €4,600 with an EBI of €198.

Bridepark Ronald Lily then went for €4,550 while 10 more lots followed, all making above €4,000.

The herd is ranked in the top 1% of EBI, as well as the top 1% for fertility sub index and the top 3% for milk sub index.

On top of that, all animals up for auction are fully up-to-date on vaccinations for the likes of IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis), leptospirosis and salmonella, as well as dosed for fluke and worms.