Waterford Ross Mart held its weekly calf sale on Saturday, April 9, with over 600 calves presented for sale at the Model county mart.

The calf trade has slowed down in recent weeks, with the Stena Horizon ferry in dry dock not helping this.

Waterford Ross Mart

After the weekly sale, Agriland spoke with the Co. Wexford-based mart’s manager, Richard Kirwan, to garner some insight into the trade on the day.

He said: “We had over 600 calves on offer at the weekly calf sale on Saturday.

“The softer-type calvers were a tough trade due to very little shipping activity, but well-presented stronger calves are still a good trade.”

Friesian bulls 

Starting with the Friesian bulls, there was a mix of stronger-type calves and shipping types.

The stronger-type Friesian bull calves sold from €80 to a top call of €160. The shipping-type Friesian bull calves, as already mentioned, were a tougher trade; they sold from €20 to €60.

This five-week-old Friesian bull sold for €130

Continental calves

The continental calves on offer remained a good trade, with a top price of €590 paid for a two-month-old Limousin bull calf.

The continental bulls on offer at Saturday’s sale sold from €150, to the top call of €590 for the Limousin bull calf.

The continental heifers sold for €120, to a top call of €500 for an eight-week-old Limousin heifer calf.

Hereford and Angus

There was a good showing of Hereford and Angus calves on offer at the sale, with Hereford and Angus bulls making from €60 to a top call of €300 for a two-month-old Angus bull calf.

The Hereford and Angus heifers were a similar trade to the bulls, making from €60 to €300 for a five-week-old Angus heifer calf.

This month-old Hereford heifer made 190

Commenting on the trade, Richard said: “Good quality lots are still selling well. Hopefully, the ship gets back in action soon, which will help the trade.”