There is data from the sale of 14,063 calves in this week’s calf table, which puts it 5,000 ahead above sales for the last week of February in 2025.

Based on prices tallied by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), the surge in numbers have kicked the balance of trade in favour of supply and, as a result, prices for most classes of calves are back on the previous week.

As ever, Friesians (43%), Angus- (30%) and Hereford-crosses (12%) are the dominant breeds at marts at present.

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Almost all categories of calves aged between three and six weeks old experiencing downturns in price. The biggest drops are evident in beef-crosses.

Angus-cross bull calves of that age are back €55/head on last week to an average price of €504/head. While Hereford bulls didn’t experience the same level of price reduction, they were still back €27/head and last week they traded for an average of €541/head.

Angus-cross heifers averaging €403/head are back €28/head in the last seven days, with Hereford-crosses escaping the lightest of the main beef breeds on offer.

They traded for €431/head, a decrease of €21/head on last week.

Of the continental beef breeds, Belgian Blue-sired calves were the most numerous. Bulls aged three to six weeks sold for an average of €575/head, back €73/head on the previous week. Heifers of the same age sold for €522/head, €17/head lower compared with last week.

Friesian bull calves aged between three and six weeks of age were the largest category of calf on offer with 4,022 sold. They had an average price of €272/head, a reduction of €16/head on the previous week, but well ahead of the €143/head they sold for 12 months ago.

There were close to 2,000 Friesian bulls aged between 10 and 20 days old and prices for those were relatively stable, back €1/head on last week to €245/head.

EU prices

The average price in the EU for a dairy-sired bull calf in the third week of February was €262/head, an increase of €3/head. Those calves were averaging €287/head in the Netherlands, up €5/head, with Irish calves also up €5/head for an average price of €271/head.