Mart managers around the country are singing the same song with regard to weanling prices; good-quality bulls suited to the export market are still dear, while lesser types are gradually easing back in price week on week or just seeing a lower clearance rate.

With all the talk of exporter demand and exporters being present around rings, it’s actually surprising to hear that weanling export figures up to 10 October showed that exports were down 25%.

In 2025, weanling exports stood at 38,259 head by 10 October, with the corresponding figure for 2026 being 28,628 head, down 9,631.

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Export figures overall are down 32,513 head, 10% lower than last year (as of 10 October).

The Netherlands is the largest live export market for Irish cattle at 93,427 head (up 10%), while Spain’s decrease of 16% compared with 2025 sees it in second at 91,974 head.

Both these countries are primarily concerned with the calf market, as opposed to other.

Northern Ireland has seen import figures of southern-bred cattle increase in recent weeks after a shaky start earlier in the year, with 40,390 head exported – a similar figure to 2025 levels.

Algeria is what really catches the eye when we look at live export market outlets.

As of 11 October 2025, 1,967 Irish cattle were exported there. The same date in 2026 shows a 176% increase, with 5,434 cattle exported. This does not include 1,750 head of Irish cattle that docked in recent days.

The majority of these are continental-bred bull weanlings, while a smaller percentage are Irish dairy heifers.

With just 28,628 weanlings having been exported, it shows the mainstay that Algeria has developed into for Irish weanling exports.

Morocco, another north African country, has seen an increase of 70% on its import figures, up from 2,242 head in 2025 to 3,821 in 2026.

Further exports to north Africa are expected in the coming days, with exporters also noted as assembling bulls for further consignments in the coming months.

Prices

Looking at what these bull weanlings are making this week, we see the top third of bull weanlings in both the 200kg to 300kg weight bracket and 300kg to 400kg weight bracket hit €5.80/kg, with a 10c/kg drop in price for the lighter class of calves.

Prices for average-quality bull weanlings from 300kg to 400kg rose by 2c/kg, with €5.07 on the cards for sellers this week, while lighter bulls are back 32c/kg of an average, with these being too light for many exporters.

Moving up in the weight classes and we see a drop-off in price as weanlings again fall out of exporter specs, with bulls from 400kg to 450kg averaging €4.74/kg (up 4c/kg in the week) and heavier bulls weighing 450kg-plus back 1c/kg to €4.42/kg this week.

Heifer weanlings saw lighter heifers slip back 14c/kg for those weighing between 200kg and 300kg to leave them trading at €4.58/kg of an average, while 300kg to 400kg lots rose by just 1c/kg this week.