Increased demand for milk saw an improved trade at the Monthly Dairy Day sale at Carlisle, where just shy of 250 cattle sold to a top of £2850, with 117 milking heifers averaging £2316.

The sale featured several breeds and saw demand for all classes continue to rise on the back of recent milk price rises with many dairies selling less milk than this time last year.

The Baillie family from Hillhead of Covington Farm near Biggar, sold three of the top five highest priced lots at £2850, £2750 and £2700 to average £2641 for eight. Dearest was Covington Complex Bon, sired by Bomaz Complex and bred from a high production dam that gave over 12,000kgs. She was bought by Messrs Watson, Ochiltree, Cumnock, who also went to £2700 for Covington Gateway Molly, a Denovo Gateway daughter.

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Covington Sublime Renata, by Denovo Sublime then made £2750 selling to Messrs Paxton, Ardwell, Stranraer.

The Wadsworth family from Big Balcraig, Port William, sold eight heifers to average £2400, with a top of £2800 paid for a daughter of R2D2, giving 40kgs. The buyers were Messrs Forshaw, Alston, Longridge.

Jim and David Gray, Drumtall, East Kilbride, received £2700 for Drumtall Flashback Amy. A daughter of Alta Flashback, bred from a Dewars dam she was knocked down to Messrs Millar, Kilpatrick Fleming, Lockerbie.

British Friesians sold to £2050 for Nerewater Ruffle, a freshly calved heifer bred from a VG87 pointed dam, from Richard Bell, Nerewater Farm, Wigton.

Ayrshires were topped at £2100 for a milky cow in her fourth lactation consigned by Richard Baynes of the Marley Cote herd in Northumberland.

Sanders Farms from Ballalough Farm, on the Isle of Man, sold 40 freshly calved cows and dry cows to average £1539. They were mainly Scandinavian Reds or British Friesian cows bred from Holstein cows, and were topped at £1900 for a Hacker daughter in her second.

In-calf Holstein heifers peaked at £1900 for a daughter of Applejax from Clifford Thompson, Lowrigg Farm near Brampton, while the Ballaseyr Stud from the Isle of Man sold 37 in-calf and short-bred heifers to a top of £1650 for a Brown Swiss cross heifer due in November to a Wagyu.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

Averages: Freshly calved – 117 Holstein heifers, £2316.31; 29 Holstein cows, £1826.50; nine British Friesian cows and heifers, £1744.44; four Ayrshires, £1987.50; four Jerseys, £782.50; six faulted ¾ cows, £1250.00.

Dry cows – 21 Swedish Red from Sanders Farms, £1497.61.

In-calf heifers – Nine Holsteins, £1712.50; 15 cross-bred (Brown Swiss cross Norwegian), £1422.66; 22 cross-bred short-Bred heifers due 2025, £893.64.

Bulling heifers – 12 Cross-bred (Brown Swiss x Norwegian), £804.16