Farmers buying cattle to graze for the summer months have had to pay close to €600/head more this spring compared to 2024 prices, according to analysis of the Irish Farmers Journal Martbids database for March, April and May 2025.
Buying 40 bullocks for grass meant a farmer needed an extra €24,000 in their pocket to fund cattle purchases this spring.
Prices for top quality store cattle in the 400-500kg weight category, typical of the weight farmers buy cattle at for grass, are up €567/head or €1.26/kg in 12 months. It was a similar story for heifers with top quality heifers up €517/head during the same period.
Mart managers are becoming increasingly concerned at the level of money that is involved in daily sales.
Cattle prices are up between €500-€700/head in some marts. So a mart selling 500 cattle on a weekly basis means turnover is up €350,000 in a week.
Once we hit peak autumn sales that could rise to over €1m/week of an increase.
It’s leading some marts to examine their credit facilities and it could mean more marts moving to pay on the day as we head for autumn 2025.
Speaking at a Cavan IFA executive meeting on Monday night, the IFA’s animal health chair TJ Maher said: “We are hearing from Irish exporters that their customers on the continent are telling them to frontload exports and get the cattle across now for fear of a Bluetongue outbreak. That’s having an affect on the trade at the moment.”
The current cooler temperatures are seen as a positive in relation to the disease spreading. Hotter conditions with a southerly or easterly wind is bad news, especially as Britain is relaxing animal movements in restrictions zones and moving to an all-country approach from 1 July 2025.
Shippers are also shortening the amount of time weanlings are being held before they are exported with a Bluetongue outbreak likely closing ports for live exports within hours of confirmation of an Irish outbreak.
Farmers buying cattle to graze for the summer months have had to pay close to €600/head more this spring compared to 2024 prices, according to analysis of the Irish Farmers Journal Martbids database for March, April and May 2025.
Buying 40 bullocks for grass meant a farmer needed an extra €24,000 in their pocket to fund cattle purchases this spring.
Prices for top quality store cattle in the 400-500kg weight category, typical of the weight farmers buy cattle at for grass, are up €567/head or €1.26/kg in 12 months. It was a similar story for heifers with top quality heifers up €517/head during the same period.
Mart managers are becoming increasingly concerned at the level of money that is involved in daily sales.
Cattle prices are up between €500-€700/head in some marts. So a mart selling 500 cattle on a weekly basis means turnover is up €350,000 in a week.
Once we hit peak autumn sales that could rise to over €1m/week of an increase.
It’s leading some marts to examine their credit facilities and it could mean more marts moving to pay on the day as we head for autumn 2025.
Speaking at a Cavan IFA executive meeting on Monday night, the IFA’s animal health chair TJ Maher said: “We are hearing from Irish exporters that their customers on the continent are telling them to frontload exports and get the cattle across now for fear of a Bluetongue outbreak. That’s having an affect on the trade at the moment.”
The current cooler temperatures are seen as a positive in relation to the disease spreading. Hotter conditions with a southerly or easterly wind is bad news, especially as Britain is relaxing animal movements in restrictions zones and moving to an all-country approach from 1 July 2025.
Shippers are also shortening the amount of time weanlings are being held before they are exported with a Bluetongue outbreak likely closing ports for live exports within hours of confirmation of an Irish outbreak.
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