A large entry of dropped calves at Ballymena Mart last Friday 18 April saw the average price paid finish at just shy of £600 per head.

In total, 480 calves sold to an average of £598 per head, with the top price for a heifer of £1,020 paid for an early January born Limousin. Bull calves sold to a top of £1,100 for an Angus.

Price fluctuation

As expected, reared calves achieved the highest prices last Friday, with strong demand for continental bred calves. Reared Friesian calves sold to a top of £890.

Looking back at the prices paid at a similar sale at the end of March, a total of 370 calves sold to an average of £518 per head.

This Hereford bull, born 20 March 2025, sold for £480.

The last sale in February 2025 saw 330 calves averaging £470 head. Comparing that to the 18 April sale, it means that just under £130 per head has been added to the average price paid for dropped calves in the last seven weeks.

This Limousin heifer, born 2 January 2025, made the top price of £1,020.

The latest agricultural market report published by DAERA also shows how the price of dropped calves has surged this year on the back of unprecedented increases in the finished beef trade. In the week ending 12 April 2025, dropped calf prices were up 90% on the same week in 2024. That increase is significantly ahead of other classes of livestock, with the prices paid for various weights of store cattle over 300kg, up by 35 to 44%.

This Charolais bull calf was born 12 December 2024 and sold for £1,000.