Strong bidding as champion stays in the west
Despite feeling of oversupply of bulls, average price at Charolais sale up 15pc on last year, reports Martin Ryan
A €7,200 Co Galway bred champion led the trade for bulls at the Irish Charolais Cattle Society Show and Sale at GVM Mart, Tullamore on Saturday.
Demand at the sale included some interest from Northern Ireland breeders, but at the fall of auctioneer Richard Ryan’s hammer, the champion of show, Cloughbrack Matthew, was set to remain in the west, a few miles from the farm where he was bred.
Maeve O’Higgins from Loughrea received a warm round of applause after she outbid strong competition for the champion, bred and exhibited by Mattie Kelly from Cloughbrack, Newbridge, Ballinasloe.
A five-star terminal and three-star replacement index bull, with a strong five stars expected progeny performance, both within the breed and across all breeds for carcass weight, the champion also carried five stars across all breeds for conformation.
The October 2016-born bull was bred by Vosgien (s) and Doon Irene (d) in a yard that has become accustomed to a generous measure of rosettes and strong prices for the progeny.
A second bull from the herd, Cloughbrack Messi, of Derryloman Impeccable (s) and Cloughbrack Starlet (d) breeding, sold for €3,300.
Reserve champion of the show, Forrest View Nugget, bred and exhibited by Sean McLoughlin from Drumgowna, Keshcarrigan, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim was purchased for the second highest price of the day, €7,000 from a Northern Ireland breeder, one of a small number of purchases destined to cross the border.
The January 2017-born bull, bred by the well-known Doonally New (s) and Prime Handsome (d) attracted a lot of interest from breeders.
The class winner, that went on to take the second highest award of the show, is a five-star terminal and lone-star replacement index, with plenty of stars for expected performance of progeny.
Maria Calvey from Knappabeg, Westport received €11,600 for December 2016born twins Caltun Mighty and Caltun Mossy, bred by Pirate (s) and Caltun Alice (d). Mighty went to a Co Tyrone breeder at €6,600, the third highest price of the day, and Mossy sold for €5,000 to a Co Roscommon breeder.
Jim Geoghegan’s Lisnagree herd at Streamstown, Mullingar received €5,500 from a NI breeder for Lisnagree Noel and €5,100 for Lisnagree Monty from a Tipperary breeder.
Clearance at 66pc has eased back on the sale in 2017 but the average price at €3,581 was up 15pc. However, the general view is that there is an oversupply of bulls on the market and the number of buyers attending sales are down, which is making for a tough trading environment.
While a small number of bulls sold at €2,000-€2,500 as some vendors may be under pressure to ease stock numbers, sales at €3,500 or higher represented almost half of the bulls which changed hands.