Mart buyers light up calf trade

Farmers and exporters have lit up the calf trade this week, with marts reporting stronger demand than usual in calf rings.

Angus-cross bull calves aged between three and six weeks are up €26 to average €327/hd and heifers are up €21 to an average of €256/hd.

Hereford-crosses sold for an average of €362 for bulls and €273 for heifers. These prices are double what they were for the first week of April last year.

Friesian bulls were smaller in number but made €193/hd on average for the three- to six-week-old calf.

Exports

Ringside demand from farmers hasn’t deterred shippers either, with 83,863 calves exported in the first quarter of 2025. This is 10,500hd or 14% higher than last year, according to Bord Bia.

Spain has overtaken the Netherlands as the biggest customer for Irish calves, with 31,142 going there. The Dutch market has taken 30,408 calves this year, a decline of 20,000 on 2023.