The live export trade continues to record positive performance. The availability of calves has tightened sharply in recent weeks and added more competition to the trade.

Exporters have been more eager to source numbers and are also purchasing Angus and Hereford calves in greater numbers.

The latest records show 1,640 calves exported to the Netherlands in the week ending 1 June 2019. This compares to 1,374 for the corresponding week in 2018, with year-to-date exports of 80,320 running a massive 35,319 head above 2018 levels.

Higher demand

A number of factors have contributed to higher demand. In the region of 150,000 cows have been culled from the Dutch dairy herd in recent years due to nitrates restrictions.

Calf availability has been tighter across Europe as a result of drought and price-related culling in 2018, while the lower price of Irish calves has also increased competitiveness.

Exports to Spain have also recorded an increase on 2018 levels and at 63,524 head are running 6,597 head above last year’s levels.

While exports to the Netherlands recorded a spike throughout spring, numbers moving to Spain have been steadier and are likely to remain at a steady level as long as there is availability of calves.

Veal

This is as exports to the Dutch market are based on a veal production system with producers targeting finishing bulls at seven to eight months of age with demand strongest for the Christmas market.

Calves exported to Spain are also finished intensively but on grain as opposed to milk. There has also been significant growth in recent years in exports to North Africa. Some producers are retaining cattle for a year and exporting to the north African market as store bulls. This has significantly helped demand for Irish calves.

Increase

Other markets to record a notable increase in 2019 include Poland and Italy. Poland has imported 5,095 head in 2019 compared to just 57 head in 2018.

Exports to the market commenced at this stage in 2018, with steady numbers of reared calves bred from the dairy herd moving on a weekly basis.

There has also been a resurgence in numbers travelling to Italy with over 20,000 head exported in 2019 compared to 13,907 in 2018.

This has been split between calves, weanlings and stores, with calves making up the greatest number.

Calf exports

The increase in calf exports is underpinning an overall increase of 45,758 head, with total numbers exceeding 200,000 head for the first five months of the year. Calf exports are dominating total figures at 170,323 head.

This is a significant increase on previous year’s levels with 2010 the last year where numbers were recorded at a similar level.

It should be pointed out, however, that there are 400,000 extra calves in the system in 2019, with the dairy herd increasing from 1.01m head in 2010 to in excess of 1.4m head in 2019. This demonstrates that there is even more room to develop the trade.

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