A Co. Meath-based cattle exporter has announced it has secured a contract to supply 2,000 Friesian bulls to a north-African country.
Viastar has confirmed to Agriland that it is seeking the Friesian bulls for a consignment bound for Libya, which is due to depart from the country in mid-April.
In order to be eligible, the bulls must weigh over 200kg, have two tags, no horns and no ringworm.
The news comes as Viastar is currently in the process of loading a consignment of over 1,600 bulls on a ship which is due to set sail for Jordan.
The bulls, which were bought over the past number of weeks, are primarily Angus, Hereford and plain continentals ranging from approximately 250-400kg in weight.
2022 cattle exports
The news of additional export contracts secured comes as the number of cattle exported from Ireland up to and including the week ending Saturday, March 5, is running 4,800 head ahead of last year’s figures.
According to Bord Bia, as of Saturday, March 5, a total of 47,600 cattle had been exported from Ireland. In the same time period last year, this number stood at 42,801.
Calf exports are running over 17% ahead of last year with a total of 31,762 head exported to date this year.
This figure is up by approximately 4,800 calves from the 27,000 calves that had been exported in the same time period in 2021.
Meanwhile, finished cattle exports are slightly behind last year’s levels at just under 8,000 finished cattle exported as of Saturday, March 5. This figure is 2.5% behind the approximately 8,150 head of finished cattle that had been exported in the same time period in 2021.