Light weanlings and reared suck calves are the flavour of the month at the moment, with some exceptional prices being paid for suck calves for export.

Exporters have also moved into the market of runner-type calves or reared calves, such is the demand for calves on international markets.

Speaking to one exporter this week, he said demand was insatiable on the continent at the moment for Irish calves and they have been told to fill the lorries and boats, with price now secondary to the equation.

Cork Marts Corrin hit the headlines last Wednesday when one bunch of January 2025-born Aberdeen Angus reared bull calves weighing 132kg sold for €940.

These weren’t bought for export, but similar money has been paid by exporters for reared calves in marts this week, such is the demand.

Farmer buyers are leading the charge for the lighter suckler-bred yearling. Exporters have priced farmers out of the 300kg to 400kg weanling for grazing, so many farmer summer grazers have shifted back to lighter-type weanlings, driving the trade upwards.

Some of these top-quality types are now hitting €6/kg and over it in some cases.

Numbers are starting to tail back considerably in marts across the country, with the good cattle trade all spring bringing out more numbers and compounding the issue of smaller numbers in marts during the summer months.

Kilkenny had a smaller sale last Thursday, with 500 cattle through the ring. George Candler reported a higher proportion of finished beef cattle pointing to farmers choosing the mart option as opposed to selling direct to a factory.

A lot of these finished cattle crossed the €3,000/head mark, with factory agents actively seeking finished cattle to fill their weekly requirements.

Top call of the day went to a pair of Charolais bullocks weighing 775kg that sold for €3,780 (€4.88/kg).

Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, we see that it was the light weanlings that saw the biggest rise, with top-quality bull calves in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket coming in at €5.81/kg.

Average weanlings in the same weight bracket came in at €4.93/kg, up 20c/kg on the previous week.

Top-quality bull calves in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket came in at €5.45/kg, up 24c/kg on the previous week driven by exporter demand.

Heavier bull weanlings were also in demand, with some bull finishers back stocking again. Top-quality bull weanlings in the 400kg to 450kg weight bracket came in at €5.17/kg this week.

In the weanling heifer rings, trade was steady, with some gains in the lighter sections again.

Top-quality heifer weanlings in the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket came in at €5.56/kg this week, with heavier heifer weanling weighing from 400kg to 450kg in the same quality bracket coming in at €4.93/kg, up 11c on last week.

Moving to the heavier cattle, bullocks in general were back a touch this week, with reductions seen on almost every weight and quality category.

Top quality bullocks in the 500kg to 600kg bracket were back to €4.50/kg this week.