Almost 600,000 (595,203) suckler-bred calves have been registered as of August 16 this year, according to latest figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
The number of suckler-bred calves registered to date this year is back 40,108 from the 635,311 registrations recorded in the same time period last year.
Looking back to the same week of August in 2016 and ICBF figures show 760,107 suckler-bred calves had been registered, a drop of 164,904 in the number of suckler-bred calves registered on the same period eight years ago.
The reduction in the supply of suckler-bred cattle coupled with the strengthening demand for quality weanlings is having a positive impact on suckler-bred weanling prices as the average prices paid for weanling bulls has increased by over €300/head on last year, according to a trade report from Balla Mart in Co. Mayo this week.
Balla Mart manager Michael Nolan estimated that over 60% of the weanling bulls on offer in the sale this week were purchased for export.
Dairy-bred calf births
Just over 1.5 million dairy-bred calves (calves with dairy-breed dams) have been registered to date this year. This figure (1,505,990) is back by 3,133 head on the number of dairy-bred calves registered in the same time period of last year.
However, looking back to the same time of August in 2016 and the number of dairy-bred calves registered has increased by 264,511 head from the 1,241,479 dairy-bred calves registered in the same time eight years ago.
While the number of calves born off the dairy herd has increased significantly, the number of these calves being sired by beef-breed bulls is also increasing.
The number of beef-sired calves from the dairy herd has increased from 657,008 in 2018 to 849,044 in 2023.
Improvements in the genetic beef merit of these calves are also being worked on through the use of tools such as the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and the Commercial Beef Value (CBV).