More veal farms on the continent are restocking or partially restocking yards with young calves, exporters report.

Governments in Italy, Spain and Germany are making first moves to lift COVID-19 restrictions and veal units must restock now to have six-month veal ready for market in the autumn, when demand normally rises. As a result, Irish exporters expect to send reasonable numbers of dairy calves into Italy and Spain this week.

Holland remains the market under most pressure due to COVID-19 disruption.

Italy took over 1,100 young Irish dairy bull calves in the second week of April

German dairy bull calves are available in the Netherlands in plentiful supply at around €65 per head, exporters report. The road transport cost for a German exporter into Holland is about €10/hd, compared to an Irish exporter’s cost of about €45/hd.

Italy took over 1,100 young Irish dairy bull calves in the second week of April. That fell last week, but exporters say up to 1,500 calves could go there this week.

Similarly, 1,835 calves were exported to Spain in the second week in April and that rose to at least 2,480 last week, a provisional figure.

Some 1,995 calves aged up to six weeks were sold to Holland in the second week of the month, but first figures indicate exports there fell sharply last week and are expected to be low this week.