A boat will be loaded at Belview Port in Waterford by Purcell Brothers with approximately 3,000 bulls, understood to be under 12 months of age and weighing between 220kg and 330kg.

Loading will be carried out under the supervision of Department of Agriculture vets and also representatives of the Turkish buyers. The bulls will go for further feeding on Turkish farms.

The increase in live exports is a chance to offer real competition to processors, according to ICSA beef chair Edmond Phelan.

“Prices paid for the bulls varied from between €2.10 and €2.20 for Angus and Hereford and between €2.70 and €2.80 for continentals. Another two boats will leave in May, this time taking cattle up to 16 to 17 months, so with the age profile rising, we will hopefully see some real competition for the factories,” he said.

Hopes for Friesians

“Purcells were the mainstay for competition in the 1980s and 1990s, so it’s good to see them back,” the beef chair added.

Phelan added that the ICSA is pushing to develop new markets, particularly for the 500kg to 600kg category to include Friesian cattle.

“This is the best strategy we have to give producers more options and to ease the stranglehold of the processors,” he said.

Calves driving up live exports 42% ahead of last year

There were over 21,000 more live exports of Irish cattle in the first quarter of this year compared with 2016.

The latest figures from Bord Bia show that by the end of March this year, live exports were at 72,350, compared with 50,815 in 2016 – a rise of 42%.

The Netherlands was the main destination for Irish cattle, with 30,226 sent in the first three months of this year, marking an increase of almost 78%.

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