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This has been a good year for calf exports. With the season winding down, export numbers have risen by 40% and have exceeded 100,000 head. The trade is dominated by three big exporters – Mark Hallissey in Co Kerry, Hunter Livestock in Co Cork and the Scallan family in Co Wicklow.
They are in the business a long number of years and are experienced operators, exporting calves in the best of health. They have long-term repeat customers and are able to negotiate best possible prices going on the day.
The exit of Cork Marts from this business at the end of 2016 didn’t disrupt exports. Instead it allowed a number of newer exporters expand their numbers, notably Dermot Conroy of Co Tyrone. It also made room for a number of new entrants, the busiest of them being William O’Keeffe in Co Cork.
The season generally kicks off in the second week of February with exports to the Netherlands. Some weeks later exports of bigger calves to Spain and then Italy get under way. In early autumn, many exporters switch to weanling cattle or sheep – this keeps their trucks working.
Over half of exported Irish calves go to the Netherlands for the veal trade, aged under 35 days. This trade peaks in March and April. Because of its size, the Van Drie Group is a big customer for Irish calves.
The three biggest Irish exporters supply to this group. Van Drie would finish about 40,000 calves per week.
There are other smaller, buyers of Irish calves in the Netherlands.
Dutch buyers are highly valued by Irish exporters. They are demanding in terms of calf health and quality and on delivery. But once agreed conditions are met, they are the most reliable payers.
The Dutch ministry of agriculture is likewise thorough on all matters relating to calf health and welfare. Upgrading of drinkers on trucks was required for 2017 and further improvements are expected to be required for 2018. All deliveries of Irish calves are inspected by vets on arrival in the Netherlands.
Spanish buyers want an older calf aged up to two months and weighing 55kg and over. These calves are bought for rearing on to bull beef. Italy, too, takes an older calf.
Weather helped exporters in 2017, with very few if any journeys stopped by rough seas. If swells are too high the boat captain will not allow calf trucks on board. One exporter told me that the resulting extra feed and lairage costs are about €2,000 per 300 head lorry load.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed’s decision last February to reduce inspection fees on calves going for export was also a help, cutting exporters’ costs by over €1,000 per load.
The export trade is monitored closely by the Department of Agriculture. Its vets have travelled on livestock lorries to mainland Europe to watch at first hand the suitability of transport rules.
Mark Hallissey
Based at Fossa, Killarney, the Hallissey family is long established in calf and sheep exports. Mark Hallissey has sent out almost 30,000 calves this year, mostly to the Netherlands but also Spain. That made him number one or two in calf exports in 2017.
He runs three livestock trucks kitted up for transport to the EU continent, as well as a number of livestock lorries for local use. He has customers he – and before him his father Martin – have supplied for many years. “The Department in the Netherlands are very vigilant,” he notes. “Everything has to be right. They look at every load to see it is OK.” On the issue of payment, he said: “There is never a problem with a Dutch man. They are very reliable.” Half of the calves are bought at marts, half off farms. At this time of year, Mark sends a load of 300kg Angus weanlings to Spain each month.
When calf exports wind down in late summer he then exports significant numbers of ram lambs to EU markets. He exported 20,000 ram lambs to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany for the recent Eid al-Adha festival.
“I’d buy a lot in the country, mostly in the midlands. A lot of farmers would gear up for us; they keep the lambs for us.” Mark will export a load per week from now until Christmas. His customers want them at 45kg to 50kg and Texel or Charolais, not Suffolk.
Hunter Livestock
The Cork firm has sent about 30,000 calves to the Netherlands and other EU markets in 2017, so it’s up there at the top with Hallissey. The Hunter business is long established with repeat customers, some of whom it has been dealing with since the 1970s. In the early part of the year, the firm sends calves to the Netherlands. In late spring, it supplies a slightly older dairy calf to Spain and then Italy, David Hunter told the Irish Farmers Journal. The company also sends some Angus and Belgian Blue calves to customers in Italy.
Wicklow Calf Company
The firm is active in calf exports to the Netherlands and lamb exports to wider EU markets. Set up by Seamus Scallan, the operation is now run by David, James and Elizabeth Scallan. It has exported about 25,000 calves in 2017, it says, and also supplied calves to Irish farmer customers, moving them directly from farm to farm. All calves are bought off the land.
Wicklow Calf Company (WCC) has worked closely with the Department to modify its road train trucks to meet latest transport and welfare standards. It is a long-time supplier to Van Drie Group in the Netherlands.
At this time of year, WCC sends ram lambs to the continent for ethnic demand. But, according to David Scallon, the company is exploring opportunities to export cattle to non-EU markets including Turkey.
DC Livestock
The firm is owned by Dermot Conroy and based in Moy, Co Tyrone.
It buys calves North and south and has exported more than 22,000 head so far in 2017. Its uses assembly yards in Cork and Dublin as well as in Moy. It exports to the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Dermot Conroy is in the export business about 10 years and is exporting from the Republic for the past three. He expanded numbers in 2017. He buys at marts and directly from farmers.
William O’Keeffe, Cork
Based in Charleville, O’Keeffe started exporting calves in 2017 and has sent about 10,000, mostly to the Netherlands but also Spain and Italy. That made him the busiest of the new entrants. He credits the Department as being helpful and giving good advice.
Logan Calves
The Ballymena, Co Antrim, firm is owned by Trevor Logan and exports calves and other cattle from the Republic, NI and Scotland to the continental. This year the firm exported about 10,000 calves from the Republic, most to the Netherlands and some to Spain.
He has lairages at Ballymena and Carlisle in Scotland and uses the assembly lairage of Ger Casey in Kilmallock. In late summer, he exports sheep and at present he brings dairy heifers from Holland to farmer customers in NI.
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