A warm sunny bank holiday weekend came to a close with the calf trade in Bandon Mart continuing it’s 2025 trend of hot prices.

There were 1,461 calves on offer this week and traditional beef breed crosses kept a stranglehold on the trade as they accounted for almost four out of every five calves on offer.

Numbers were up about 130 head on the same sale last year, but prices were a world away from those of last year.

Angus- and Hereford-crosses over 75kg were generally trading from €450 to over €600.

Prices were not confined to that range, with a share of traditional beef-breed runners exceeding €700 with €720 paid for a group of 112kg bulls and higher available for heavier calves on occasion.

It’s not all big money for Angus- and Hereford-crosses, lighter calves from 45kg to 55kg can be bought for between €170 to €300 too, but that middle-range calf in between 55kg and 75kg has the potential to fluctuate most in terms of prices – especially if they are from Friesian dams.

An odd few were purchased around €250, but if bidders stuck it out, a share in that weight range also ended up making close to €450.

Continental-sired calves were a bit thinner on the ground this week but continued to pull in premium prices. Heavier Belgian Blue-crosses – those weighing over 80kg – were making from €540 to €830. A number of similar weight Charolais-crosses made similar money while lighter continental-crosses made from €400 to €500.

Friesians perform well

Friesian bulls made up just over 10% and demand for them has strengthened in recent weeks as supply has slowed down. A 37kg Friesian bull calf selling for €195 tells you a lot about where trade is for Friesian bulls at present. Heavier calves weighing from 55kg to 75kg were generally making between €290 to €370 and runners were making up to €450.

There were a number of Friesian heifers on offer and these made from €180 to €245 for lighter calves, while weaned Friesian heifers made up to €730.

In pictures

These six-week-old Hereford-cross bulls weighed 69kg and sold for €440.

This seven-week-old Hereford-cross bull with a CBV of €63 weighed 96kg and sold for €695.

These nine-week-old Belgian Blue weighed 95kg and sold for €830.

This nine-week-old Angus-cross bull weighed 107kg and sold for €730.

This two-month-old Belgian Blue-cross heifer with a CBV of €161 weighed 99kg and sold for €665.

This nine-week-old Belgian Blue-cross bull with a CBV of €181 weighed 121kg and sold for €785.

This five week-old Hereford-cross bull weighed 63kg and sold for €390.

These one-month-old Hereford-cross bulls with CBVs of €87 and €118 weighed 80kg and sold for €575.

This five-week-old Hereford-cross heifer weighed 55kg and sold for €255.

This five-week-old Hereford-cross heifer calf weighed 60kg and sold for €295.

This five-week-old Charolais-cross heifer with a CBV of €218 weighed 70kg and sold for €420.

This one-month-old Belgian Blue-cross bull calf with a CBV of €224 sold for €545.

These five-week-old Angus-cross heifers with CBVs of €69 and €84 weighed 44kg and sold for €230.

These six-week-old Angus-cross bulls weighed 81kg and sold for €560.

This five-week-old Charolais-cross heifer calf weighed 66kg and sold for €460.

This five-week-old Friesian bull calf weighed 65kg and sold for €320.

This five-week-old Friesian bull with a CBV of €7 weighed 37kg and sold for €195.

This five-week-old Angus-cross heifer calf weighed 89kg and sold for €495.

This five-week-old Friesian bull weighed 91kg and sold for €390.

These five-week-old Friesian bulls weighed 57kg and sold for €295.

These six-week-old Friesian bulls weighed 74kg and sold for €365.

These five-week-old Hereford-cross bulls with CBVs ranging from €62 to €142 weighed 53kg and sold for €385.

These six-week-old Angus-cross bulls with CBVs of €48 and €59 weighed 81kg and sold for €645.

These five-week-old Angus-cross heifers with CBVs of €84 and €101 weighed 50kg and sold for €275.