The top third of bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg bracket hit €3.55/kg in the first three months of 2023, Irish Farmers Journal MartBids data shows.

This was up 53c/kg on the same period in 2022 and up 77c/kg on the 2021 price.

On a 380kg weanling, that means prices have gone from €1,147/head in spring 2022 to €1,349/head in spring 2023. That’s an increase of €202/head in the last 12 months. While feedlot finishers and farmers are very active around mart rings, it’s the live exporters who are really lighting up the trade.

Heifer weanlings have also had a strong start to 2023, with the top-end heifer weanling in the 300kg to 400kg bracket hitting €3.46/kg for the first three months of 2023, trading up from €2.99/kg in 2022 or €171/head on a 380kg weanling.

Like other farms, production costs have increased on suckler farms and in many ways the increase in the price of weanlings is keeping in track with the increase in beef price over the last 12 months.

The figures bode well for finished cattle supply and demand from 2024 onwards.

According to the latest Bord Bia figures, live exports are up 11% on the same period in 2022 with calf exports also performing very strongly for the first three months of 2023. Weanling exports are up 34%, year on year.

Positive start

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Bord Bia meat and livestock manager Seamus McMenamin said: “It’s been a really positive start to 2023 for live exports.

“We have had a lot of enquiries from potential customers from other countries so we are hopeful that the good start will be continued for much of 2023.”