Carnaross Mart in Co. Meath hosted its weekly calf and runner sale on Monday, November 10.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, auctioneer Rodney Windrum said there were 115 lots of calves and over 450 head of both calves and runners in the sale in total.

Commenting on the trade for autumn calves, Windrum said calves are up €300/head on last year in cases and good coloured calves have more than doubled in price since last year in some cases.

Commenting on the customer base for the calves in the sale, he said: "It's farmers, farmers, farmers" buying these and export buyer activity is currently relatively low.

He said farmer customers are "very strong" for all types of calves including Friesian bulls.

He said the tops of the Friesian bull calves made as far as €450 with the plainer-grade Friesian bull calves making from €180/head up.

At the higher-end of the scale, the better-type coloured calves are making over €1,100/head in some cases.

Commenting on the trade for reared calves (runners) he said: "The demand for them runner-type cattle is serious."

He said the tops of the continental-bred runner cattle made as far as €1,800.

The dairy-bred late spring-born runners are generally making "from €1,000 up to 1,500 for the better ones".

He said: "There's a pile of them runner-type cattle about and a pile of farmers there every week to buy them".