Three thousand heavy bulls will be exported to Libya at the end of this month. Cork based Curzon Livestock has now begun buying for the latest contract it has secured.

The consignment will be made up mainly of Friesian bulls in the range of 400kg to 500kg and under 30 months. It will also include smaller numbers of continental type bulls at 350kg to 450kg and heavy continental bulls.

The lighter stock will go for further feeding on Libyan farms.

Cattle exports to Libya so far this year stand at 6,610/head

A representative of Curzon said that demand for imported livestock of all sorts continues to be strong in Libya. The firm will be seeking further orders to Libya, he said.

Cattle exports to Libya so far this year stand at 6,610/head and the coming shipment will bring that total close to 10,000/head, double the total 5,106/head in 2018 and the highest since exports to this market resumed.

If there are further orders, Libya is likely to replace Turkey as the main non-EU destination for cattle in 2019. To date, 5,715/head has been exported to Turkey.