There will continue to be strong long-term demand in Turkey for Irish heifers and young bulls, an Irish delegation was told this week. Demand there for beef and for cattle to finish remains very strong, representatives from Bord Bia and the IFA heard.

Factory prices in Turkey are in the range of €5.50/kg to €7.50/kg and Irish cattle are thriving on Turkish farms.

The delegation included IFA livestock chair Angus Woods and Bord Bia’s Joe Burke.

They met with the director generals of state buying agency ESK and Turkey’s department of agriculture, as well as live cattle importers.

Speaking from Turkey, Woods said they were told the country has an ongoing import requirement for 500,000 head of live cattle each year.

“Based on the discussion we had with the authorities, Ireland could supply up to 100,000 head of this each year.”

There will be opportunities to export breeding heifers there: “The Turkish government is giving its farmers an annual beef cow subsidy equivalent to €180 per head – that will drive demand.”

Stop-start buying

Meanwhile, Purcell Brothers will unload a boatload of Irish weanling bulls in Turkey on Friday. Two further boatloads will leave this month, one from Purcells, the other with heifers from Viastar.

These cattle have already been bought and are now finishing quarantine.

There is no word yet of further big contracts being tied down with Turkish buyers or the state-owned ESK. Exporter buying at mart sales has slowed for now.

Mart managers have said that rushed buying by exporters with a boat to fill is leading to a stop-start effect on the weanling trade.