Up to €350/head less for weanlings as concern over Algerian ban mounts
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) has said that the loss of live export demand is hitting weanling prices hard, with some farmers now getting up to €350 per head less than last year.
Agriland revealed last month that the Algerian market would temporarily close to cattle imports.
It's understood the decision was made following concerns regarding the potential emergence of a new serotype of the foot-and-mouth disease virus.
The weanling market in Ireland has been experiencing downward pressure with this important export market taken out of the mix for the moment.
ICSA Suckler chair, Eoin Ryan said: “Losing €300 to €350 on a weanling compared with last year is a huge hit to a suckler farmer's income.
"It costs more than ever to breed and rear these cattle, yet farmers are getting considerably less when they sell them.
"With fewer live export outlets available, farmers are losing out and we cannot stand by and let this continue,” he said.
Weanling exports
The ICSA stated that Bord Bia export figures show that overall cattle exports were down by 32,513 head, or 10%, by October 10 compared with the same period last year.
Within that total, weanling exports were down by almost 10,000 head, a drop of 25%.
Ryan said the reduction in live export buying was having a direct effect on weanling prices: “The live export trade has been an important outlet for Irish weanlings, particularly into North African markets.
"The disruption to exports to Algeria has come at a very bad time. Exporters are now estimated to have between 5,000 and 10,000 weanlings waiting for a market.
"We need to get trade with Algeria moving again and find other markets for these cattle.”
When cattle that would otherwise have been exported are left in Ireland, they have to find a buyer here putting more pressure on an already difficult market.
The farm organisation has stressed that suckler farmers are losing income they "simply cannot afford to lose".
Costs are also rising such as spending on animal health, including vaccination against pneumonia and bluetongue.
Ryan said the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) must make every effort to restore trade with Algeria and ensure that other export opportunities are not lost:
“We also need to look at opportunities in markets such as Morocco and other North African countries.
"The department must work to resolve veterinary and market access issues, while Bord Bia needs to help exporters find new buyers and develop alternative markets.
“Live exports are not just about having somewhere else to send cattle.
"They are about maintaining competition and giving farmers a choice when selling their stock."
The department and Bord Bia are being urged to protect the export markets for cattle and to get disrupted trade moving again as well as finding new buyers.
