Camera at the Mart: beef breeds dominate in Bandon

After a busy few weeks, calf numbers slackened in Bandon Mart this week, with 1,539 calves on offer at the west Cork venue.

This is a drop of around 300 compared with last week and is about 150 fewer calves than the same sale in 2023.

A blustery weekend was followed by heavy rain as the sale proceeded on Monday and trade was brisk, with farmer buyers very keen for calves over 70kg.

Yet again, the old reliable of Angus and Hereford made up the bulk of what was on offer and while there was a big gulf between the top and bottom prices for them, the bulk sold well.

Top prices

Angus- and Hereford-cross calves over this weight and from Friesian dams were mostly selling for between €200 and €300, with a share at the top end breaking the €300 mark.

One of the top prices went to a pedigree non-registered Hereford heifer that sold for €400.

The middle range of calves made from €80 to €200, while, at the lower prices, a share of these breeds were available at under €20, albeit at far smaller numbers than some March sales.

In the more extreme cases, there was €2 and €5 paid on some calves, including those over seven weeks of age.

Stronger calves

As the spring has gone on, farmers have appeared more willing to pay for stronger calves regardless of breed and this was noticeable, with a few more traditional beef breeds making over €240 when compared with earlier sales.

Belgian Blues were the top sellers when it came to continentals, with over €400 paid on a number of those over or around 80kg. A top of €475 was paid for them this week. A share of other continental breeds at similar weights exceeded €300.

Friesian bull calf numbers have slipped back as the spring went on and a top price of €170 was paid for a group of five-week-old calves weighing 76kg. The bulk of shipping calves made anywhere from €20 to €80.