Camera at the Mart: 1,500 calves at May bank holiday sale in Bandon

While it was a bit of a washout bank holiday weekend in west Cork, it did little to stem the tide of calves in Bandon Mart, with 1,500 on offer this week.

This is up about 50 on the same time last year and almost 200 calves over 2024 levels.

Prices appeared to be closing back in on those paid at the May bank holiday sale last year too and a yard of strong calves helped in that regard.

A year ago, Angus- and Hereford-crosses over 75kg were generally trading from €450 to over €600 and that’s where most traded for at this Monday’s sale too.

Traditional beef breed-crosses kept a stranglehold on the trade, as they accounted for over three-quarters of all calves on offer.

Lighter calves of those breeds, those weighing from 45kg to 55kg, were generally making from €200 to €300.

There was a share of traditional beef-breed runners that exceed those prices, with a high of €960 paid for a group of 115kg Hereford-cross bulls.

Other calves

Outside of the main breeds, there were about 150 other calves, with most sired by continental bulls.

Their prices tracked along similar lines to the traditional beef breed-crosses, with calves close to weaning making up to €900 on occasion. For the most part, continental-cross bull calves weighing close to 75kg exceeded €600.

Auctioneer Denis O’Donoghue said: “Numbers were back again, as they usually tend to do in May, but we had plenty of strong calves and that helped trade. There are always buyers for good calves.

"Most of those Angus- and Hereford-crosses, especially the bulls, were making between €7/kg and €8/kg and we had a good mix of shippers and farmer customers this week.

"It was mainly more of the reared Friesians rather than sucked calves and those heavier bulls close to 100kg were making from €450 to €550. Prices for lighter Friesian bulls held along similar lines to recent weeks, with most trading from between €200 and €350," he said.