A major livestock exporter warned that the north African market for weanlings could be undermined by poor weaning practices and insufficient health procedures on farms.

Speaking at a Cork Marts weanling event in Skibbereen Mart on Thursday last, Micheal Maxwell said the advantage Ireland has as the only European country that can ship cattle straight to north Africa could be lost if these risks weren’t addressed.

“There is a good demand for Irish weanlings there, but the one thing that will destroy that trade is if the weanlings aren’t vaccinated and dosed properly."

He added that they avoid buying unvaccinated weanlings at sales over the next few months.

“We can go and get all the good markets and give the good money for them, but if we haven’t the backup of the good health of the weanling, we’re at nothing.

"That is why we have taken the decision from the first of October – we’ll be buying no weanling that isn’t vaccinated.”

Micheal Maxwell of Maxwell Livestock who discussed the need for better health and weaning practices on suckler farms ahead of the autumn weaning sales, with Irish Farmers Journal editor Adam Woods at the weanling event in Skibbereen Mart.

Praising the efforts and investments that farmers and AI stations have put into breeding good stock, Maxwell asked what it was all for if farmers were unwilling to vaccinate or dose their stock ahead of selling.

“More of our weanlings now are costing over €2,000 than under it and if you’re not able to spend €20 on them to leave them perfect for the rest of their life, it’s a sad day.”

The Roscommon-based exporters' most recent shipment of 1,665 bulls – the third load it has shipped to north Africa this year – docked in Morocco on Tuesday.

Michael informed those present that Maxwell Livestock has four more loads that have been given the green light to go between now and Christmas and buying to fill these orders is getting under way.

'They want good quality'

Factoring in a 42-day quarantine period, he said that his perfect calf was one that weighed 330kg to 380kg and aged under 11 months, with some specs varying from country to country.

“They’re prepared to pay for them. They want the good quality and they want them young and not over heavy. Putting your calf into 400kg is a waste of time and putting them into 500kg-plus is a nightmare. Most customers in Algeria want them arriving no more than 400kg.

"For Tunisia I need to buy them under 10 months of age and I need a U or an E grade calf. They’d will take some Rs, but they would pay considerably less.

"We have no problem with the quality of the calf. The good Limousin is good enough for every market. The (Belgian) Blue, of course, they’re worth more if they are E or E+, but if you’re breeding a (Belgian) Blue animal that is a R= or R+, you’re as well having any other breed.”

Donal Murphy, Drinagh Co-op; Tim O’Regan Drinagh Co-op; Michael Maxwell, Maxwell Livestock; Elaine Dennehy, Munster Bovine; Keith Mullaney, Skibbereen Mart manager; Anthony Buckley, Munster Bovine; Adam Woods, Irish Farmers Journal; and David Shiels, Drinagh Co-op – speakers and organisers of the weanling event in Skibbereen Mart, Co Cork.

Golden-coloured Charolais were good sellers too, he said, but he cautioned those selling weanlings that: “None of them want to buy the white Charolais because they are too hard fattened and too heavy for them.”

The event also heard from Elaine Dennehy from Munster Bovine, who said that pneumonia was the leading cause of death in six- to 12-month-old animals, accounting for 40% of deaths in young cattle.

Stress in weanlings, particularly around weaning time and sales where animals are mixed and transported, are factors in weanlings getting pneumonia. With that in mind, she said that vaccination programmes should be completed at least two weeks ahead of the main risk period.