Exporters are almost 100% sure that the Turkish market will come in the next couple of weeks, according to Viastar’s William Fay.
“We are building for it at the moment,” he said at a Gain Feeds weanling information evening held in Carnew Mart last night (Wednesday).
Irish exporters are currently in the process of sourcing cattle for a consignment for export to the Middle Eastern state, he said.
The cattle exporter told farmers that the market requires a ‘small animal’, under 10 months that weighs between 160-280kg.
They have to be a beef breed animal and non-Friesian, but there is Angus and Hereford cross cattle being taken as well.
In terms of price, he said that exporters are looking to pay between €2.40-2.50/kg for suitable animals, but are willing to go as high a €3/kg for the right type of beef bred bull.
Fay also said that further on down the line it may be possible to send heavier stock to Turkey and he suggested that weanling bulls as heavy as 300kg could be shipped in the future.
Italian export trade comes to a stand still
Fay also spoke about the cattle export market so far this year saying that the Italian export trade has come to a stand still.
He said that customers for Irish cattle on the continent looked for better quality animals this year, along with longer repayment terms and this has had a negative impact on the Irish export trade.
Italian customers are interested in the top double muscled E grade heifers, he said, but the demand for the less shapely animals has declined this year.
He also said that it is very difficult to find customers for bulls weighing over 420kg this year, as Greek buyers have ceased importing stock due to a disease outbreak in the Mediterranean state.