Camera at the Mart: exporters drive demand in Elphin

Elphin Mart had over 400 weanlings through the ring at Monday’s special sale of weanling bulls and heifers.

Trade was described as brisk, with a combination of farmer buyers and exporters driving the trade.

Weanling numbers are in short supply around the country, with May and June traditionally very quiet for weanling sales.

The good spring trade will help the autumn trade, with a lot of autumn-born weanlings that would usually be sold later in the year coming out now for sale.

Some will use the reduced summer stocking rate to bank up on silage supplies, while more will tailor their fertiliser applications and cut back on costs.

Top-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket were making from €3.80/kg to €4.30/kg, with the general run settling from €3.40/kg to €3.80/kg.

Lesser types were back at €3/kg, with a few plainer types being bought at €2.50/kg to €2.80/kg.

Heifer calves were a similar trade, with the top heifer weanling coming in around €3.90/kg, with one Belgian Blue heifer weighing 330kg selling for €1,500.

One of the top prices in the bull weanling section was €1,820 for a June 2023-born Limousin bull weanling weighing 530kg.

This was followed by an April 2023-born Limousin weanling weighing 450kg selling for €1,800 (€4/kg).

Several weanlings crossed the €4/kg barrier during the day, with farmer buyers battling it out with exporters to secure some of the best weanlings in the mart.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Elphin Mart manager Ciaran Lynch said: “We were very happy with the trade on the day, with some exceptional prices being paid for top-quality weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg bracket.

“We had a lot of farmers selling autumn-born weanlings. People sometimes say that suckling is a hard game to make money at, but we had farmers selling October 2023-born weanlings at €1,400 last Monday at seven months old.

“That cow can be kept very cheaply for the summer on rough grazing and she’s back in to calve again next October.

“I know feed costs are high for the winter, but it’s great to see them lighter weanlings making good money at this time of the year.

“The live exporter is a really important part of the trade at the moment and speaking to them, the demand looks set to continue over the next few months.”