One of the homes of dairy-cross calves, Bandon Mart saw another bumper entry this week. With in excess of 500 calves present last week, this Monday’s sale didn’t disappoint with over 430 calves present.

Mart manager Tom McCarthy said that numbers would usually be around the 250 mark for this time of year, but the closure of marts due to lockdown and the updated TB testing protocol, which now means calves up to 120 days are exempt, has played a part in the increase.

Buyers from all across the country

A ringside of buyers from across Ireland meant that the high numbers were met with a strong trade throughout. While the quality of some lots may have been back, prices remained strong.

Prices rose as high as €480 for those earlier spring-born continental-type cattle, with €400 easily achieved for most. For the same type of stock of a younger age, upwards of €280 was achieved.

A strong entry of Angus and Hereford calves were met with a good trade. Those displaying a more beefy phenotype sailed to the €200 mark, with those lighter types about €50 behind.

A similar story was seen for Friesian calves, with those better-made types achieving a premium price.

In pictures