Crossbred bull calves making just €2-5 each

CROSSBRED Holstein calves are being sold for as little as €2 -5/hd, with one mart manager describing the stock as “almost worthless”.

Tom McCarthy of Cork Marts said that good quality Holstein bull calves sold for €15-€30/hd at Skibbereen Mart on Friday. However, he said there was no demand for poor quality crosses from the dairy herd.

“I have seen some of the very poor quality Holstein cross bulls s el l i ng for €2 -€5/hd t hi s year. They are almost worthless; nobody wants them,” he said. “We will be starting the live export of calves within a week to Holland where they are happy with the good Friesian bull calves, but the price will be back at least €30/head for the good calves,” he said.

Livestock e xpor ters conc urred, predicting that the export market for calves, which is expected to open up in the next week, will be much tougher than last year and prices will be back by €30-€100/hd.

John Humphries of Cork Marts said that last year Cork Marts exported 20,000 calves mostly to Holland and he expects to have a market for 30,000 this year.

Jimmy Hennessy, who purchases the calves for Hennessy Farms, said that some of the prices this year will be down €100/hd. He predicted that the really poor Holstein and Holstein cross Jersey bulls would be “given away for nothing”.

“The good quality British Friesian bulls will be worth €120-€150/hd and good Hols t ei n- Fri esi an bulls €30 - €65/hd,” he said.

He attributed the fall-off in prices to the poor trade for calves on the Continent. Hennessy Farms are planning to be exporting within a fortnight.

David Hunter of Murphy and Hunter Exporters said that the low prices on export markets was going to be a problem in 2014 and he urged all Irish exporters to adopt a ‘ harder sell’ approach in an effort to get improved returns.

Exporters are also pointing out t hat the high c osts associated with purchase fees, transport, lairage and shipping will represent 30-50pc of 2014 pri c e of calves on t he Continent.