08-05-2025
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.
