There has been a €119/head difference in the price paid at marts between the top and bottom third of continental-cross calves from the dairy herd, when ranked by commercial beef value (CBV).

The top third of continental-cross bulls sold for €559/head compared to €444/head for those in the bottom third. For heifers of those breeds, the difference is €107/head.

When it comes to traditional beef breed-sired calves, the difference is not as notable.

With an average price of €473/head, bull calves in the top third sold for €67/head higher than the bottom third.

Heifer calves sired by Angus, Hereford or Shorthorn bulls had a difference of €51/head between the top and bottom ranked thirds as they averaged €353/head.

For dairy males, the difference stood at €59/head.

Statistics from the ICBF show that 123,670 calves with a CBV have been sold so far this year.