60% drop in Irish dairy calf exports to date this year

Veal

Meat

Ireland

Market & Price Trends

Published Mar 19, 2024

Tridge summary

Irish dairy calf exports have experienced a significant 60% drop in the first nine weeks of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with only 18,000 calves exported. This decline is attributed to a slower start to large calf sales this spring, stormy sea conditions disrupting ferry crossings, and competition for ferry spaces. Despite these setbacks, demand for Irish calves remains high in mainland Europe, particularly in Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland. Meanwhile, overall cattle exports, including store and adult cattle, have seen an increase of 56% and 54% respectively, totaling over 35,000.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

Irish dairy calf exports have fallen by 60% in the first nine weeks of this year compared to the same time period of last year. Latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that just over 18,000 Irish dairy calves have been exported in the first nine weeks of this year, whereas in the first nine weeks of 2023, just over 45,000 calves had been exported, indicating a drop of 60%. There are a number of reasons why dairy calf exports have gotten off to a slower start this spring with both mart managers and calf exporters reporting a delay in the large calf sales kicking off this spring. As well as this, there have been some issues with ferry crossings as a result of stormy sea conditions which stalls livestock transport on ferries. Competition for spaces on ferries sailing from Ireland to Cherbourg, France, has also been a challenge for calf exporters this spring. Despite these challenges and the slow start to calf exports this spring, market ...

Source: AgriLand