Having dealt with bad weather last week and with Storm Gareth set to land, calf exporters are facing a backlog of calves waiting to be shipped. This backlog had a visible ringside at Bandon mart, as trade dropped back on the last couple of weeks.
"We're hitting our peak numbers for these two or three weeks. The two- to three-week-old Friesian bull calf is coming under pressure and it's purely down to sheer volume of numbers and weather," said Bandon mart manager Tom McCarthy.
"Instead of holding on to calves a bit longer, farmers are taking the hit and whether it's €1 or €20, they are just getting them off the farm."
These 38-day-old Friesian bulls sold for €32.
Caution
McCarthy cautioned that this was not helping the market and urged farmers to bring the stronger calves first rather than moving all calves. With prices for the older calf remaining firm this might be justified.
He added: "The strong calf that was making €80 to €90 last week is there again with a little bit more on top of it. It's the same with the beef cross calves, the older squarer calf is still a strong seller.
"If the calves don't have the age and the size, you're not going to attract the farmer or dealer. If the farmer is buying he'd like to have a reasonably good calf. They are paying for the good ones."
Stronger Friesian bull calves were selling for between €70 to €125, with farmers very active for these.
Exports
McCarthy also voiced his concerns for the current trade for lighter calves: "There's no one but the shipper, to buy the lighter calf at the moment and they are struggling. Lorries are struggling to get on boats and boats are struggling to go. There's a serious backlog. It's the perfect storm. This is a sting in the tail of dairy expansion and compact calving.
Prices
Friesian bull prices were split, with stronger calves attracting a lot of farmer and dealer interest – selling from €70 to €125. At the other end of the market the export calf is selling from as low as €5 to €50.
The two- to three-week-old export-type Friesian bull calf sold for between €5 and €50.
Angus and Hereford calves could be split along similar lines, with the older calves making up to €260 for bulls and heifers, while lighter animals sold in the €70 to €125 range. Of the rest, continentals were scarce but met with super demand. They sold for up to €360, with very little between bulls and heifers.
Demand was strong for Hereford and Angus calves this week, with bulls and heifers mainly selling between €150 and €260.
Calves from Jersey cross herds were back on this price range, with some Angus and Hereford animals selling for over €100. Jersey and cross bred bulls made up to €15, with bids again much slower to come for lighter animals.
Continentals were rare among a large sale of calves. They sold for up to €360.
Having dealt with bad weather last week and with Storm Gareth set to land, calf exporters are facing a backlog of calves waiting to be shipped. This backlog had a visible ringside at Bandon mart, as trade dropped back on the last couple of weeks.
"We're hitting our peak numbers for these two or three weeks. The two- to three-week-old Friesian bull calf is coming under pressure and it's purely down to sheer volume of numbers and weather," said Bandon mart manager Tom McCarthy.
"Instead of holding on to calves a bit longer, farmers are taking the hit and whether it's €1 or €20, they are just getting them off the farm."
These 38-day-old Friesian bulls sold for €32.
Caution
McCarthy cautioned that this was not helping the market and urged farmers to bring the stronger calves first rather than moving all calves. With prices for the older calf remaining firm this might be justified.
He added: "The strong calf that was making €80 to €90 last week is there again with a little bit more on top of it. It's the same with the beef cross calves, the older squarer calf is still a strong seller.
"If the calves don't have the age and the size, you're not going to attract the farmer or dealer. If the farmer is buying he'd like to have a reasonably good calf. They are paying for the good ones."
Stronger Friesian bull calves were selling for between €70 to €125, with farmers very active for these.
Exports
McCarthy also voiced his concerns for the current trade for lighter calves: "There's no one but the shipper, to buy the lighter calf at the moment and they are struggling. Lorries are struggling to get on boats and boats are struggling to go. There's a serious backlog. It's the perfect storm. This is a sting in the tail of dairy expansion and compact calving.
Prices
Friesian bull prices were split, with stronger calves attracting a lot of farmer and dealer interest – selling from €70 to €125. At the other end of the market the export calf is selling from as low as €5 to €50.
The two- to three-week-old export-type Friesian bull calf sold for between €5 and €50.
Angus and Hereford calves could be split along similar lines, with the older calves making up to €260 for bulls and heifers, while lighter animals sold in the €70 to €125 range. Of the rest, continentals were scarce but met with super demand. They sold for up to €360, with very little between bulls and heifers.
Demand was strong for Hereford and Angus calves this week, with bulls and heifers mainly selling between €150 and €260.
Calves from Jersey cross herds were back on this price range, with some Angus and Hereford animals selling for over €100. Jersey and cross bred bulls made up to €15, with bids again much slower to come for lighter animals.
Continentals were rare among a large sale of calves. They sold for up to €360.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: