BIDDING peaked at £2,300 in Gisburn Auction Mart’s dairy sale last Thursday, when some 80 milkers went under the hammer.

Auctioneer Fred Spurgeon said it was a day when the best met a strong trade but age and any slight faults held back the value of others.

Leading the trade on price was a powerful De-Su Fantastic-sired heifer from Sam Sugden’s Brontemoor herd, Oakworth, West Yorkshire. Sold giving 40 litres, the February 2016-born heifer is out of a high-fatting Wyman dam and went to N W and J M Coulthurst, Goosnargh, Preston. A 37 litre heifer from G D Donkin, Copster Green, Blackburn, sold at £2,120. By the home-bred sire Copdon Franco, the June 2016 heifer was bought by F Talbot and Co, Ribchester. At £2,060, the same buyers bought another from the Copdon herd, this one also on 37 litres but by Regancrest Altaiota and out of a 12,000 litres Zebra dam.

The day’s champion, from A H Price and Son, Clapham, Lancaster, was a fresh second calver giving 40 litres from their Jackbeck herd. This Charpentier Spectrum daughter had given 7,329 litres with her first calf and made £2,020 to Messrs Coulthurst. Another cow, this one a third calver giving 51 litres, sold at £1,950.

Topping the non-pedigree trade at £1,930 was a two weeks-calved, 28 litre first calver from heifer rearer J Shorrock, Burnley, which sold to J G Williams, Wrenbury, Cheshire.