First organic heifer show & sale at Gort Mart

The Organic Beef and Lamb Innovation Group (OBLIG) and Teagasc recently held its first organic cattle sale at Gort Mart, Co. Galway, where 280 organic cattle went under the hammer, Teagasc Organic Advisor, John Noonan, and Declan Pyne, OBLIG coordinator, report on the sale.

The Gort Mart sale was the organisation’s first organic cattle breeding sale. It marks a significant step from planning into practice, giving farmers who have joined the project a real route to market where their organic status is recognised and rewarded.

Pictured at the first organic heifer show & sale at Gort Mart are from left to right: Aine Gordon, Organic Trust; Gerard Fahy, Kinvara, Galway; and John Noonan, Teagasc.

The quality of stock on offer was exceptional, and producers were praised for the standard they brought to the ring. The demand on the night was an early signal that organic produce leaking into the conventional market can be tackled when farmers, breeders and buyers are brought together in one place. As OBLIG moves into its second phase of recruitment, this first sale sets a benchmark for what the project can deliver.

John Noonan, Teagasc Organic Advisor, pictured with Maeve Cairney, Irish Organic Association, and Micheal Smith, Faha, Caher, Co. Clare, at the organic heifer show & sale at Gort Mart.

Three categories on the night

The sale ran across three categories, each backed by a sponsor:

• Category A: 2024/2025 born continental bred heifers, sponsored by the Irish Organic Association.
• Category B: 2026 born continental bred heifers, sponsored by Organic Trust
• Category C: 2024/2025 born traditional breeds, sponsored by The Good Herdsmen

Table 1: Prize winners from the Gort sale

Strong demand

There was great demand for heifers between 12 and 24 months in both continental and traditional breeds. Buyers were a mix of organic farmers restocking for breeding and organic finishers sourcing cattle to finish.

Table 2: Top priced lot from each category

Table 3: Sample heifer prices from the sale

Bullock trade

There was also a fine selection of organic bullocks on offer, which averaged €4.47/kg on the night.

Goals and objectives

OBLIG was set up to retain the value of organic beef and lamb for the farmer and the consumer, tackling structural problems that make it difficult to process organic livestock through organic supply chains. The initiative is built around five core objectives:

1. Reducing leakage of organic produce into the conventional supply chain
2. Improving coordination across the supply chain
3. Enhancing collaboration and support among producers
4. Addressing distribution and finishing challenges
5. Strengthening the market linkages that connect farmers to buyers

The next phase

Following organised sales of both sheep and cattle in the west, the plan is to develop these cattle and sheep groups of farmers throughout the country, to contribute to the development of a strong and well organised organic industry in Ireland.

These producer groups will help to streamline the buying and selling of stock and will improve returns to organic farmers and help develop the growth and consumption of organic produce nationally and internationally.

Find out more about Teagasc Organics here.

Learn more about OBLIG here

Featured image caption: Pictured at the first organic heifer show & sale at Gort Mart are from left to right: John Noonan, Teagasc; John Purcell, Good Herdsman; Edward McCormack, Claregalway, Co. Galway; John Fennessy, Good Herdsmen; and Rory Callinan Good, Herdsmen.