Limerick, as a county, registered the third-highest total of calves born in 2016 with a total of 144,728. The county was narrowly ahead of Kerry (143,536) and Galway (133,400), with a significant gap to the top two of Cork (420,305) and Tipperary (211,189). Clare is not far behind Limerick in terms of calf registrations and is the seventh-largest, with 102,116 head recorded in 2016.

The two counties differ greatly in terms of farm enterprises. The Department of Agriculture AIM report for 2016 lists Limerick as possessing 110,075 dairy dams and 34,653 beef dams. The breakdown in sire usage is 84,618 calves born to beef sires and 60,110 calves born to dairy sires.

Clare is the complete opposite with 69,994 cows defined as beef dams and 32,122 dairy dams. The breakdown in sire usage is dominated by beef, with 85,581 calves born to a beef sire and 16,535 to a dairy sire.

Golden Vale Marts

As is expected, the main enterprises give rise to the type of animals traded in livestock marts. The three marts in Limerick, Killmallock, Abbeyfeale and Dromcollogher, are all operated by Golden Vale Marts (GVM).

Kilmallock was GVM’s first mart, commencing trading in 1958. It has grown into one of the largest marts in the country, with its Monday sale capable of operating five auction rings. It operates seasonal sales to cater for all farming systems, including regular organic sales.

Abbeyfeale Mart commenced trading in the early 1970s and specialises in calf sales. It operates on a Saturday.

Dromcollogher Mart was opened in the 1960s and operates on a Thursday during the peak season for trading calves also.

Ennis Mart

Clare has a good network of livestock marts and possesses a countrywide reputation for sales of top-quality suckler-bred weanlings and stores.

Clare Marts operates sales in four areas, with Ennis its main hub of activity, along with premises in Scariff, Kilfenora and Kilrush.

Ennis Mart is a relatively new build with excellent facilities and operates sales of weanlings, dairy and suckler stock, calves (young calves and runners) and sheep every Tuesday, while sales of cattle, dry cows and aged bulls take place on a Thursday.

Kilrush holds sales fortnightly on a Wednesday, with sales held weekly during peak periods. A similar system is also operated in the other two outlets. Kilfenora hosts sales of cattle on a Friday, while, during the peak season of September to December for weanlings, sales are held on a Monday evening.

Cattle are traded on a Monday in Scarriff in spring and autumn with a weekly day sale held on a Saturday from September to December.

Sixmilebridge Mart

Opened initially in 1973, the doors of Sixmilebridge Mart closed in 2009. However, the closure did not last long, with local farmers, business people and interested parties in the area successfully raising enough funds to reopen the mart as a co-operative livestock mart in August 2011.

The mart has been successfully trading since and holds one weekly sale on a Saturday, with Sean Ryan in charge of the gavel.