Bandon Mart calf trade off to a flyer

Bandon Mart got back up and running for 2025 following the postponing of last week’s sale due to the freezing weather conditions experienced in the south of the country. There were 285 calves and runners on offer and no shortage of customers, with trade picking up marginally behind where it finished up before Christmas.

Angus-crosses were most evident among the pens and the majority over one-month-old and weighing over 60kg tended to sell for between €175 and €320.

A share of those closer to 80kg or above it made up to €400. Hereford-crosses were thinner on the ground, but made similar money depending on weight and age.

A few lots of exceptional continental calves sold for in excess of these prices. Of note were a group of one-month-old Belgian Blue-cross bulls that weighed almost 90kg and sold for €585.

Friesian bull calves sold well. Calves over 60kg made anywhere from €90 to €220, with farmer buyers competing for the older calves over the export age limit.

Commenting on the season ahead, mart manager, Sean Dennehy said.

“It’s good to see the positivity in the beef trade, but you must bear in mind that it will be at least 19 months before many of these calves will be fit for the factory.

“That’s a long time, but I reckon trade will be positive in the medium- to short-term this spring. We had serious numbers of calves in December more than we ever had, and there seems to be a bit of confidence around buying and rearing calves.”

When it comes to advice to farmers selling calves, the proof is there on sale day.

“The well-presented calves that have the weight and are healthy looking make the higher prices in the mart every time. Most customers know what they want and are used to buying calves so they know what they want and will pay for what they want. A calf with a good start is more appealing to them and as a result they’re more likely to pay a premium for that type of calf.”

Last year, due to the high costs of milk replacer and straw, saw a number of farmers step back from rearing calves with a view to purchasing runners in the autumn.

High volumes of calf exports throughout the year resulted in a shortage of supply and dairy runners were €200 to €300 per head dearer than 2023.

As a result of this, Sean thinks more farmers could be active in the calf market this spring.

“I think we could see more farmers rearing calves. Stores won’t be as plentiful as there were a lot of beef-cross calves exported last year, so calves may make more sense for people to build up numbers. We could end up having a fair price for both parties and possibly more people going onto them than before.”

He urged farmers to attend the Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and Teagasc calf rearing workshops.

“They’re super and I’d recommend it for farmers as it’s good to go for a refresher.

“I rear some calves myself and I went to one last year and it was very worthwhile. I learned a lot and if you’re interested in rearing calves, it’s a well worthwhile exercise. The content on pneumonia and coccidiosis especially.”