For the first time the calf price table based on data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has price information on the sale of over 20,000 calves.

Between them, Friesians, Angus- and Hereford-crosses accounted for 85% of all calves traded over the past week.

Friesians accounted for 41% of all calves on the table and prices for both younger and older bull calves got a bounce of €40/head compared to last week.

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Mart managers have reported an increase in shipper activity at the ringside, and this is likely to have been a contributing factor.

Those aged from three to six weeks of age traded for an average of €312/head, while Friesian bulls between 10 and 20 days old sold for an average of €285/head.

Three out of every ten calves were sired by an Angus bull, and after faltering a little last week, prices for them recovered over the last seven days.

The average price for an Angus-cross bull aged between three and six weeks of age was €531/head – a lift of €27/head – while there was a similar level of increase for Angus-cross heifers the same age. They were up €30/head to €433/head.

For Angus-cross calves aged between 10 and 20 days, bulls sold for €465/head and heifers for €368/head. This represents an increase of €22/head and €8/head respectively on the previous week.

Three- to six-week-old Hereford-cross bulls were changing hands at €555/head, up €14/head in the week, while the same age Hereford-cross heifer was up €26/head to €457/head.

Similar aged continental-cross bulls sold from €576/head to €642/head, with continental-cross heifers averaging from €468/head to €532/head.

Belgian Blue-crosses were the most numerous with older bull calves averaging €621/head.

EU prices

The average price in the EU for a dairy-sired bull calf in the last week of February was €265/head, an increase of €3/head. In the Netherlands, dairy-sired bull calves were up €13/head for an average of €300/head. They made a similar price, €301/head in Germany. In contrast the average price of the same class of Irish calves in that time was €243/head, a reduction of €28/head on the previous week.