PJ Mulvihill, Listowel Mart
“No one saw it coming but I can’t see it changing and it has to be the new normal because the cattle aren’t there. We thought they opened at a really good trade but when you look back on it, they were for nothing compared to where they have gone to now. We saw farmers leaving calves at home for an extra week. They wouldn’t have done that before but there was huge financial reward this year.
PJ Mulvihill, manager of Listowel Mart.
“It’s phenomenal the money calves are coming into it. A lot is being driven by exporters but farmers are competing too, and many are first time calf rearers. They felt giving €1,300 to €1,400 for a polly bullock was too much and paying €500 for a calf made more sense.
“We were saying Friesian bulls making €120 in February was dear and they’d balance out when peak came but it was dearer they got. Last week, your typical export Friesian [was] coming into €270 and €280.”
Shane Egan, GVM Marts
“It’s been a boom year for it. All our figures are up. Abbeyfeale and Kilmallock were up 25% on last year and Dromcollogher was up 88%. That wasn’t a figure any of us imagined at the start of the year, but there was an extra effort put in there and it’s really after taking off there. Exporters have been very active, especially for lighter calves. Those around 16 days to 35 days are the best trade, there’s been a great demand for them.
“The big thing is, it was hard for farmers to put a value on calves at home. Prices were changing within a week, never mind week to week. They might have been looking for €300 at home and getting €200 to €300 more than they were expecting when they brought them into the mart.”
Jimmy Walsh, Carlow Mart
“It’s an extraordinary time. I started around 1974 and I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve seen lots of ups and downs. Bank strikes, BSE, foot-and-mouth, COVID-19, TB and now this. Our turnover in the calf ring has doubled for the same number of calves compared to last year.
Jimmy Walsh.
“What’s happening now, the way trade is and the developments of it have been the most significant event in my career in the mart. No one around the ringside would have the same number of stock as they did last year, and a lot of farmers have elected not to buy cattle to go grazing. You have farmers rearing calves that never did it before.
“This price rise started at the beginning in January, and there was a step up every week and farmers buying had to drop down a level.
“The farmer buying 350kg cattle now would always have bought strong bullocks. The trouble with that is the bigger farmer is now clashing with smaller operator and making it dearer on them, it’s an entire change.”
Seán Dennehy, Bandon Mart
“Last year the exporter was being outbid by the farmer, whereas this year it’s the other way round – especially since April. There’s an unreal demand for export calves and we’re starting to see it for Friesian heifer calves in the last few weeks too. It’s like everyone woke up the same week and we’re seeing €565 for Friesian heifers.
Seán Dennehy, Bandon mart manager.
“Traditionally, we’d see them in April but they’re later this year and there seems to be less of them. The other thing I’ve noticed is Belgian Blues have really kicked on. I know it’s breeding season now and I wouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket, but there’s some farmers specialising in them and doing them well, and there is a very strong export market for them.”
Alison De Vere Hunt, Cashel Mart
“It’s been a crazy year and it’s great to see farmers finally being properly paid for their stock. The way things are going we could sell calves all summer because they’re going to make more money.
Alison De Vere Hunt.
It’s a positive, but I think an Achilles heel is the fact that so many calves and last year’s weanlings were exported, the decimation of the suckler herd and the current TB situation, I think it’s going to be a very dry backend for marts.”
PJ Mulvihill, Listowel Mart
“No one saw it coming but I can’t see it changing and it has to be the new normal because the cattle aren’t there. We thought they opened at a really good trade but when you look back on it, they were for nothing compared to where they have gone to now. We saw farmers leaving calves at home for an extra week. They wouldn’t have done that before but there was huge financial reward this year.
PJ Mulvihill, manager of Listowel Mart.
“It’s phenomenal the money calves are coming into it. A lot is being driven by exporters but farmers are competing too, and many are first time calf rearers. They felt giving €1,300 to €1,400 for a polly bullock was too much and paying €500 for a calf made more sense.
“We were saying Friesian bulls making €120 in February was dear and they’d balance out when peak came but it was dearer they got. Last week, your typical export Friesian [was] coming into €270 and €280.”
Shane Egan, GVM Marts
“It’s been a boom year for it. All our figures are up. Abbeyfeale and Kilmallock were up 25% on last year and Dromcollogher was up 88%. That wasn’t a figure any of us imagined at the start of the year, but there was an extra effort put in there and it’s really after taking off there. Exporters have been very active, especially for lighter calves. Those around 16 days to 35 days are the best trade, there’s been a great demand for them.
“The big thing is, it was hard for farmers to put a value on calves at home. Prices were changing within a week, never mind week to week. They might have been looking for €300 at home and getting €200 to €300 more than they were expecting when they brought them into the mart.”
Jimmy Walsh, Carlow Mart
“It’s an extraordinary time. I started around 1974 and I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve seen lots of ups and downs. Bank strikes, BSE, foot-and-mouth, COVID-19, TB and now this. Our turnover in the calf ring has doubled for the same number of calves compared to last year.
Jimmy Walsh.
“What’s happening now, the way trade is and the developments of it have been the most significant event in my career in the mart. No one around the ringside would have the same number of stock as they did last year, and a lot of farmers have elected not to buy cattle to go grazing. You have farmers rearing calves that never did it before.
“This price rise started at the beginning in January, and there was a step up every week and farmers buying had to drop down a level.
“The farmer buying 350kg cattle now would always have bought strong bullocks. The trouble with that is the bigger farmer is now clashing with smaller operator and making it dearer on them, it’s an entire change.”
Seán Dennehy, Bandon Mart
“Last year the exporter was being outbid by the farmer, whereas this year it’s the other way round – especially since April. There’s an unreal demand for export calves and we’re starting to see it for Friesian heifer calves in the last few weeks too. It’s like everyone woke up the same week and we’re seeing €565 for Friesian heifers.
Seán Dennehy, Bandon mart manager.
“Traditionally, we’d see them in April but they’re later this year and there seems to be less of them. The other thing I’ve noticed is Belgian Blues have really kicked on. I know it’s breeding season now and I wouldn’t put all my eggs in that basket, but there’s some farmers specialising in them and doing them well, and there is a very strong export market for them.”
Alison De Vere Hunt, Cashel Mart
“It’s been a crazy year and it’s great to see farmers finally being properly paid for their stock. The way things are going we could sell calves all summer because they’re going to make more money.
Alison De Vere Hunt.
It’s a positive, but I think an Achilles heel is the fact that so many calves and last year’s weanlings were exported, the decimation of the suckler herd and the current TB situation, I think it’s going to be a very dry backend for marts.”
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