Camera at the Mart: all systems go as calf price strengthens in Bandon

The calf trade continues to strengthen as supply drops in Bandon Mart.

There were just over 1,200 calves on offer in the west Cork venue for the weekly sale on Monday.

This was similar to the same sale in 2024, although prices were a world away.

At that sale, the majority of Angus- and Hereford-cross calves weighing from 60kg to 75kg sold for between €90 and €240, while heavier calves weighing over 80kg made well over €300, with up to €460 paid on occasion.

For the 2025 version, the middle-of-the-range calf from 55kg to 70kg was making €300 to €450, with some making over €500 and even more on occasion.

A group of eight Angus-cross bulls weighing 90kg made €670, while €615 was paid for a 70kg bull.

Keeping pace

Hereford-crosses were keeping a similar pace, with €630 paid on an 80kg bull calf and €605 paid for 67kg Hereford-cross bulls. Heifers weren’t far behind either.

At the other end of the spectrum, the rarity of a double-figure price for beef calves was seen too.

One 42kg Angus-cross heifer made €80, while a 33kg heifer from the same breed and a pair of Limousin-cross heifers weighing 46kg sold for €40.

With traditional beef-breed crosses accounting for almost three quarters of what was on offer and a handy showing of Friesians, continentals were scarce this week.

They kept their mantle as sale toppers, with a number of Belgian Blue-crosses in particular fetching eye-catching prices.

A top price of €850 was paid for a 105kg bull, while a good proportion sold from that high back to €700.

Other continental-cross calves sold along similar lines as the top end of Angus- and Hereford-crosses.

Benefit

Friesian bull calves continue to benefit from a tightness in supply.

A stand-out price was a bunch of six calves weighing 49kg that sold for €310. At peak last year, the same weight calves were making about 10% of that price or a little with it.

Other price examples for slightly heavier Friesian bulls include 55kg making €340 and 56kg selling for €200.

For heavier Friesian bulls, the €400 mark was passed on a few occasions. One 78kg bull made €405, while runners over 100kg made from €450 to €570.

There were just over 50 Friesian heifer calves on offer and prices ranged from €120 to €390 in the main, but up to €530 was also paid out on a group of two-month-old heifer calves.