Mart trade: Up to €1,500 paid for suckler-bred calves
There were 850 calves on offer at Castleisland Mart, Co. Kerry, on Monday, May 5, with the mart trade seeing average calf prices edging up again and as high as €1,500 paid for suckler-bred calves.
Speaking to Agriland, mart manager Nelius McAuliffe said: 'Calves are getting dearer every week and that is still the case.'
He said one local farmer sold two suckler-bred calves in the sale with one of the two – a Limousin-cross bull calf making €1,500 – and the other calf making over €1,000.
McAuliffe said that this week's calf sale is up approximately 150 calves on the same sale of last year, and that the number of cattle going through every sale at the mart venue is up this year.
The mart manager said: 'In the first four months of this year, we have sold an additional 2,400 cattle and 5,000 calves'.
He said that Friesian bull calves one-month-of-age made up to €370 while a bunch of Hereford bull calves weighing approximately 85kg sold for €700. He noted that this time last year, €350-400 would have bought the same calves.
While farmer demand is strong this year, export customer demand is also strong and the mart manager said: 'The shipping trade at the sale on Monday was the highest we have seen this year.'
Numbers expected to tighten
Commenting on the trade for older cattle, the mart manager said that the numbers of heavier cattle on offer are back. He said that prices for the non-Quality Assured cattle are 'slightly back' but that in-spec cattle 'are still a great trade'.
The mart manager said that sales have been very big to date this year and expects this month to see numbers tighten.
'I expect May and June this year won't be as big of sales as last year. Last May, we had big sales with the poorer weather and cattle came out for sale later,' McAuliffe said.
'With the numbers of cattle gone through this year, you'd be thinking they have to dry up.'
Overall, the mart manager said that the mood is fairly positive in the cattle trade currently and described the current sentiment as 'good trade, plenty of customers, and very positive'.
Mart trade for cattle at Tuam
Tuam Mart in Co. Galway hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Monday, May 5, with dry cows making up to €3,200 for an 800kg Limousin cow.
Another 725kg Limousin cow made €4.30/kg or €3,120, while a lighter 650kg Salers cow sold for €2,650 or €4.08/kg.
In the heifer sale, prices peaked at €3,220 or €4.38/kg for a 735kg Angus heifer, with a lighter 405kg Shorthorn heifer selling for €4.30/kg or €1,740. Another 450kg Angus heifer sold for €1,780 or €3.96/kg.
In the bullock sale, store cattle prices reached almost €5/kg with €4.95/kg or €2,300 paid for three 465kg Angus bullocks.
Two Limousin bullocks weighing 452kg sold for €2,220 or €4.91/kg and a heavier 680kg Charolais bullock sold for €3,200 or €4.71/kg.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Former world darts champion Rob Cross banned as director after company failed to pay more than £450k in tax
FORMER world darts champion Rob Cross has been disqualified as a director for five years after his company failed to pay more than £450,000 in tax. 2 Rob Cross has been banned as a director after failing to pay a £400k tax bill Credit: Rex 2 The 34-year-old former world champ is due back in action this weekend Credit: Getty The Insolvency Service also found that the Premier League Darts star withdrew more than £300,000 from Rob Cross Darts Limited between March 2020 and November 2023 that should have gone to creditors, including to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The world No.9 also took out more than £400,000 from Rob Cross Darts Limited – which was set up eight years ago to receive his earnings and prize money – in the form of a director's loan account by the time the company went into liquidation. In an attempt to repay part of his debts, Cross has entered into an IVA, a legally binding agreement where he has committed to making regular payments to an insolvency practitioner. The monthly contributions Cross makes to the IVA will vary depending on the income he receives through his performances at darts tournaments during this year and future years. READ MORE ON DARTS Cross famously won the Kevin Read, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: "When directors fail to pay the correct amount of tax, it directly impacts the government's ability to fund vital public services such as the NHS, schools, transport infrastructure and our national defence. "Rob Cross's company owed more than £400,000 in corporation tax alone when it went into liquidation. "For more than three years, he withdrew funds from the company which should have gone to HMRC and other creditors. Most read in Darts "This case demonstrates that we will pursue action against directors who deprive the public purse of much-needed funds. "The rules apply equally to everyone in business, and we expect all company directors to comply with their legal responsibilities. Fans sing along to Luke Littler's walk-on song as darts star shares footage from stage "Enforcing these rules consistently is crucial in maintaining a level playing field and preventing companies from gaining an unfair competitive advantage over compliant businesses that properly fulfil their tax obligations." Insolvency Service investigations found that the company received more than £1million from Cross's earnings between the start of March 2020 and the date of liquidation in November 2023. A total of £169,500 in sponsorships and £261,901 from his management company was also paid into the company. However, in the same period, Cross withdrew funds of at least £306,403 from the company which he acknowledged was 'to the risk and ultimate detriment of HMRC'. A further £665,419 was paid into the personal account of a connected party. By the time the company went into liquidation, it owed £403,896 in corporation tax, £49,071 in VAT, and £12,436 in PAYE and National Insurance contributions. The company had only paid £41,936 to HMRC between March 2020 and November 2023. Cross's director's loan account was also overdrawn by £423,608 when the company went into liquidation with liabilities of £579,805. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Cross – a former electrician – and his ban started on June 5. It prevents him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court. Cross is due to play Andreas Harrysson in Copenhagen in the first round of the Nordic Darts Masters. SunSport have contacted his management team for a response.
Agriland
3 hours ago
- Agriland
No rise in number of farmers rearing calves this year
There has been no increase in the number of farmers buying calves to rear this year – or the number of calves being reared by each farmer – according to official Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) data. As of May 28, 2025, DAFM data shows that 25,328 farmers bought calves so far this year. In the same time period last year, 25,349 herds notified DAFM of inward calf movements. The average number of calves moved into a herd in both periods was 19. The table below details the number of herds that notified DAFM of inward calf movements from January to May of 2024 and 2025, and the average number of calves moved into a herd in both periods: Year (Jan-May) Number of herds that notified DAFM of inward calf movements Average number of calves moved into a herd 2024 25,349 19 2025 25,328 19 Difference -21 – Responding to a query from Agriland relating to the number of farmers rearing calves this year compared to last year, a spokesperson for DAFM said: 'To date in 2025, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been notified that 25,328 herds moved calves into their herd. 'In the same period last year, 25,349 herds notified DAFM of inward calf movements. 'The average number of calves moved into a herd in both periods was 19. This data was extracted from the Department's Animal Identification and Movement system on May 28, 2025.' DAFM has defined a calf as 0-6 months-of-age for the purpose of this query. The significant rise in calf prices this year was originally being attributed by mart managers and industry personnel to both strong export buyer activity and an increase in the number of farmers buying calves. The understanding was that the strong store cattle prices was causing more farmers to go to the calf ring to buy calves however the DAFM data shows there has been no rise in the number of Irish farmers rearing calves this year. While the number of calves being bought by Irish farmers for rearing has not increased, there has been a rise in calf export numbers, with just under 188,000 calves exported as of May 29 this year. Calf exports are up 13% on last year.
Agriland
6 hours ago
- Agriland
Explainer: How do proofs fluctuate in the ICBF Active Bull List?
The most recent evaluation of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) Active Bull List has sparked a bit of controversy among farmers as one of the most popular bulls in the country had his Economic Breeding Index (EBI) drop like a meteor. So, naturally enough, the most recent evaluations caused debate among farmers, with many looking for a bit more clarity on how these evaluation are made. Agriland highlighted these concerns among farmers with the ICBF, and asked for more clarity around how these evaluations are carried out and how bulls are assessed. The bull causing the debate is Tankardsrock Teak (FR7929), who previously held the top position on the ICBF Active Bull List prior to the most recent genetic evaluation. However, in the latest update, his ranking has dropped significantly as he fell 200 places to 201st. This decline is largely attributed to a reduction of €73 in his Fertility Sub-Index, which also impacted his Carbon Sub-Index, decreasing it by €8. The bull – which is owned by the National Cattle Breeding Centre (NCBC) – was the most used bull in the 2024 season, which demonstrates why farmers are concerned about his sudden drop in EBI from €370 in March to €287 now. How do proofs fluctuate? It was highlighted by the ICBF to Agriland that Tankardsrock Teak moved from a Genomic Proof (GS) to a Daughter Proof (DP-Irl), as daughter performance data was included in his EBI for the first time. Consequently, Teak's proof reliability increased by 13%. While daughter records are now directly contributing to his Milk Sub-Index, his fertility proof is still primarily driven by genomics and predictor traits. Predictor traits are genetically correlated with economically important traits. For example, Milk Kilograms (Milk Kg) is used as a predictor trait for Calving Interval and Survival. The ICBF highlighted that these traits serve as proxies to improve the reliability of evaluations—especially for young animals who have not yet expressed the target traits. They are important tools for making early, informed selection decisions that enhance herd productivity and profitability. So, for Tankardsrock Teak's latest evaluation, two new predictor traits were incorporated into his Fertility Sub-Index calculation for the first time, which was Age at First Calving (AFC) and Milk Kg. Teak now has 257 daughter records for AFC and 127 daughter records for Milk Kg and on average, his daughters calve 0.65 days later than their herd mates and produce 152kg more milk. While the increased milk production is genetically favourable, the strong negative genetic correlation between high milk yield and fertility contributed to the drop in his fertility index. Combined with the slightly poorer AFC performance, these factors have significantly impacted his EBI. Fertility genomics vs. reality What we can take from this data is that genomic predictions for milk performance are proving accurate, which is evident in Teak's daughters' milk yields. However, Teak's daughters will not yet have any calving interval and survival phenotypes, the traits that will make up the fertility sub-index. The ICBF confirmed that first lactation milk recording data has been obtained and given the negative association built into the evaluation between milk and fertility have caused his fertility prediction to drop. That said, there is still one remaining predictor trait yet to be included ahead of Teak receiving first parity calving interval and survival data later in the year: Calving to First Service (CFS). Interestingly, this trait has a stronger genetic correlation to fertility than both AFC and milk kg and may help recover some of the decline in his fertility sub-index once it gets integrated, so, maybe not all is lost in terms of the fertility of this bull. It is also worth noting that fertility records on later parities are also used where available so a sire will not be fully proven for fertility until his daughters that survive reach the start of their sixth lactation. To accommodate the implementation of new economic values into the EBI and the introduction of a genetic base change, the next genetic evaluation will take place in late September. Certainly, Teak is one to keep an eye on for the next evaluation as his CFS data will be incorporated and will give a better insight into his fertility performance. ICBF advice The only real practical way of overcoming these fluctuation in proofs and avoid having such a fluctuation affect the EBI and genetic merit of your herd, is to have a large bull team and not to overuse one bull in the team. The ICBF highlighted that genomics has been proven to work and is accelerating genetic progress across the dairy industry. While fluctuations in bull proofs can be concerning such as the recent changes seen with Teak, they are not unusual as similar adjustments have occurred in the past as more daughter data becomes available. To minimise the impact of these fluctuations, farmers are strongly advised to use teams of bulls when breeding replacements. No more than 15% of heifer replacements should come from any single bull. This strategy spreads risk and ensures a more balanced herd. Despite the recent drop in his Fertility Sub-Index, Teak continues to demonstrate excellent genetic merit for milk production and may be suitable bull to use on your herd. It's still too early to determine where his fertility figures will ultimately settle, particularly with additional data yet to be included in his evaluation.
