Calf numbers were back a little in Kilmallock on Monday last, with about 430 on offer at the Co Limerick mart.
Angus- and Hereford-crosses made up over 80% of all calves on offer and €250 to €540 was the going rate for most stronger calves, with up to €620 paid on occasion.
For adult cattle, there appeared to be a recovery in the store trade, with €2,870 paid for a bunch of 624kg (€4.60/kg) Charolais-cross bullocks and €1,740 paid for a group of 358kg (€4.86/kg) Hereford-cross bullocks.
Spring 2025-born Angus- and Hereford-cross bullocks were generally trading from that high of €4.86/kg back to €3.80/kg.
Uncertainty on whether there would be further protests may have led to the smaller than usual calf numbers, but mart manager Shane Egan expects bigger numbers at Wednesday evening’s calf sale.
“We’re going to have about 1,400 calves or so for the next few weeks, but we were getting between 1,800 and 2,000 calves a week at peak. The majority of calves, if not nearly all of them, went to exporters this week.”
Good trade
“Trade has been very good overall this spring, there was one glitch where boats didn’t go one week, but farmers stood in and trade held.
“Maybe in the last week or 10 days, we’re seeing that the heifer calves are probably back in price, especially the lighter Angus and whiteheads. They were extremely high at the start of the year.
“Friesians are nearly the best sellers, they’re very much wanted at the moment and a good Friesian bull calf is making from €250 to €350, but they’re very scarce now.
“Store trade, it was very good. It was predominantly two-year-old cattle and there’s a lot of grass men around for them.
“We were probably 10c/kg higher this week for them. Beef price seems to have steadied out and they have more confidence now.
“Our cow numbers were back and there are concerns over the new TB rules.
“Sellers weren’t sure if they were able to sell or not, so there will be teething problems with it, with buyers getting used to what they can and can’t buy. We’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks.”
