Live exporters have cranked the weanling trade up another notch this week, with a few exporters going head to head in marts to secure adequate numbers to assemble loads this week.

Speaking to mart managers around the country, the exporters are in complete control, with farmers being outbid, especially for the top-end 300kg to 400kg weanling.

Elphin Mart had a special sale of weanlings on Monday evening, with top call of the night going to an October 2024-born Belgian Blue bull weighing 335kg and selling for €2,760 (€8.24/kg) purchased by an exporter.

A number of weanlings crossed the €6/kg barrier, with the majority of weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket selling for over €5.50/kg.

Heavier bull weanlings were also in demand, with a number of heavy bull weanlings over 500kg also crossing the €5/kg barrier and selling for north of €2,500/head.

There was a number of autumn-born weanlings in the sale, which mart manager Ciaran Lynch said would normally have been brought out for sale for the special show and sale of weanlings on the August bank holiday Monday, so these weanlings are being sold two months earlier than usual.

The same is being seen in marts across the country, with farmers choosing to capitalise on the good trade and sell weanlings earlier this year.

Weanling exports are running 65% ahead of 2024 levels, with over 8,000 more weanlings exported so far in 2025.

This lift in numbers looks set to continue, with big demand coming from continental Europe and north Africa on the back of ongoing bluetongue restrictions.

The calf trade is also rising high, with live exporters again driving the trade. Three-week-old calves are now freely making €400 to €500/head all across the country, with reared spring 2025-born calves now heading for €1,000/head such is the demand for export.

This also looks set to continue, with calf exporters who normally wind down at this time of year indicating that they are continuing when the demand is there.

Calf numbers are falling, so it will be interesting to see will more reared calves come out for sale to meet demand.

Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that the bullock trade continued to work off a steady pace, with the top third of bullocks in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket coming close to €5/kg.

Heavy bullocks were back a touch, with top-quality bullocks in the 600kg-plus weight category coming in at €4.49/kg this week, back 8c/kg on last week.

Light heifers also met a steady trade this week, with top-quality heifers in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket up 10c to €4.70/kg this week.

Heavy heifers were back a little. Factories pulling beef quotes by 10c/kg hit demand around the ring a little, with average heifers over 600kg back 13c/kg this week to €4.21/kg.

Top-quality 300kg to 400kg bull weanlings came in at €5.83/kg this week, up 38c/kg. Top-quality heifer weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket were up 21c/kg to €5.43/kg. Light dairy-cross heifers are making €4/kg.