The second shipment of Irish cattle this year arrived in Casablanca Port in Morocco on Wednesday evening (April 3), with a third shipment of Irish cattle expected to depart for the North African port in the coming month.
Just over 2,300 head of Irish cattle departed on the Shorthorn Express on Good Friday (April 5).
That brings the total number of Irish cattle exported to Morocco this year to just over 4,600 head.
The company supplying to cattle to the north African market is Viastar and a spokesperson from Viastar has told Agriland that it is currently sourcing cattle for a third consignment to the north-African country.
The most recent consignment of cattle exported to Morocco included Friesian bulls and bullocks, as well as Limousin and Charolais bulls.
While calf export numbers did get off to a slow start this spring, the number of calves being exported on a weekly basis has ramped up significantly in recent weeks.
In week 12 of this year (week ending Sunday, March 24) figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that ober 15,300 calves were exported, bringing the total number of calves exported in the first 12 weeks of 2024 to 63,123 head.
The volume of Irish calves exported this year is down 22% or 17,700 head from the 80,850 head of calves exported in the same time period of 2023.
DAFM figures also show weanling exports are down 15% to date, with 7,750 weanling exported to date this year, versus the 9,060 head of weanlings exported in the same time period of last year.
Store and adult cattle export numbers are up 67% and 50% respectively with 5,700 store cattle and 11,300 adult cattle exported in the first 12 weeks of 2024.