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Calf exports are facing a bottleneck in France at their peak, as two crucial ferries will not run on alternate days, the Irish Farmers Journal can confirm.
Department officials were hopeful that the Irish Ferries’ WB Yeats, would run on alternate days with Stena Line’s Horizon, to allow access to French lairages on separate days of the week.
However, this hope has now been dashed and now there will be a 48,000 calf capacity limit per month in the lairages. If the ferries were to run on separate days, there would have been room for 80,000 calves.
A spokesperson, for the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, told the Irish Farmers Journal: “The Department continues to work with private transport operators and stakeholders in order to maximise live export opportunities.”
IFA president Joe Healy, said that what Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed had been saying on calf exports was “wishful thinking”.
Meanwhile, the overall calf trade is running €20 to €40 behind 2018 levels, with calves sired by dairy bulls facing the greatest price pressure.
Good-quality calves are selling from €50 to €80 but there is a growing percentage of lighter bull calves and those bred from cross-bred cows falling into the price range of €20 to €40 in recent weeks, while the poorest quality calves, including Jersey bulls, are trading from €5 to €20. Stronger and better conformed Friesian calves are selling to a top of €100 to €110, with aged lots exceeding this range.
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