Gort Co-Operative Mart in Co. Galway hosted a show and sale of Belgian Blue and Limousin-cross weanlings on Thursday evening, March 5.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Bernie Fahey commended the quality of the cattle on show.

She said: "The quality coming through for these shows just keeps getting better year-on-year."

Cattle breeders from nine different counties exhibited cattle on the evening, and customers from 20 counties located both north and south of the border secured cattle in the sale.

The mart manager noted that the lifting of restrictions of cross-border movements of cattle for feeding and breeding also helped the trade on the evening.

There were a total of 424 animals exhibited in the sale and the clearance rate achieved was 97%.

Belgian Blue-sired weanlings

The first prize Belgian Blue-cross heifer went to Patrick and Alan Feeney from Claregalway, Co. Galway for their PPS-sired heifer.

This heifer weighed 390kg and sold for €7,300 or 18.72/kg.

Second prize in this class went to Pat Haugh from Kilrush, Co. Clare for his Belgian Blue-cross heifer, which weighed 355kg and sold for €3,900 or 10.99/kg.

The top price on the evening went to a pedigree Belgian Blue heifer sired by BB2247.

As the heifer was a pedigree, she was not eligible for the pre-sale show which was for cross-bred cattle only.

This heifer weighed 485kg and sold for €8,800 or 18.14/kg.

In the bulls, the first prize Belgian Blue-cross bull also went to Patrick and Alan Feeney from Claregalway.

This bull weighed 565kg and sold for €3,600 or 6.38/kg.

Second-prize went to Adrian Mc Mahon from Bullaun, Co. Galway.

His Belgian Blue-cross bull weighed 595kg and sold for €4,000 or 6.20/kg.

This was the top price bull on the night but on a price per kilo basis, some lighter Belgian Blue-cross bulls made over €8/kg.

Limousin-sired weanlings

The first prize Limousin-sired heifer went to Keith O'Reilly from Kilbeacanty, Co. Galway.

The heifer was bred off a Plumtree Fantastic-sired bull. She weighed 485kg and sold for €5,300 or 10.93/kg.

Second-prize went to Paul Conroy from Whitegate, Co. Cork, for his Limousin-sired heifer which weighed 370kg and sold for €3,250 or 8.78/kg.

The first prize Limousin-sired weanling bull went to Stephen Connaughton from Killimor, Co. Galway for his 525kg bull that sold for €2,900 or 5.52/kg.

Second prize went to Michael Griffin from Masonbrook, Co. Galway for a 465kg Limousin-sired bull, which sold for €2,880 or 6.19/kg.

Bulls averaged €5.77/kg in the sale with a top price per kg of €8.62 paid for the weanling bulls. Heifers averaged €6.45/kg in the sale.