2025 to date has been described as "the best year yet" as regards the trade for both calves and cattle, by Cootehill Mart manager Stephen Drury.
Speaking to Agriland after the calf and general cattle sale at the mart venue, which featured over 600 head in the sale, the mart manager said: "Calf prices were up €45-€50/head on the previous week for all types of calves - the cheapest calf in the sale last Friday was €110."
The mart manager noted the transformative change in the calf trade this year and said: "No calves are being left behind this year, everything is being sold. It's been the best year yet on demand and price."
Drury said that the calf trade is being driven by the usual annual calf customers as well as new farmers buying calves who would not traditionally have bought calves in the past.
"There are a lot of extra farmers buying calves who can't buy anything in the store cattle ring. There's a lot of Northern Ireland-based customers here for calves also - we have a lairage here and often export up to 100 calves on a Monday to customers from Northern Ireland.
Calves made up to €610/head in the sale on Friday for a Hereford bull calf.
Drury said: "The 60-65kg calf is the one farmers want. They're making the top prices.
"There was several calves making €580-600, especially the good Belgian Blue-cross bull calves. The good one can clear 500 with ease.
"Even the very average calf is making €250 plus. The same sort of calf that, last year, €80/head would have brought any amount of them home.
Drury said that all types of Angus cattle are "a big, big seller this year" and noted prices of up to €5.25/kg paid for a 330kg Angus bullock making €1,740.
"The tops of the Friesian bullocks are making close to €4/kg. We had a 500kg Friesian bullock here that made €1,980 last Friday - this time last year, €900-1,000 would have bought them," he said.
"There was a 620kg Hereford bullock that made €2,960 and the last two cattle to come into the ring were two Limousin bullocks weighing 520kg each that made €2,640 or over €5/kg each.
"They were saying €4.00/kg is the new average, I would say €4.50/kg is the new average. The good continental is over €5/kg and a very average sort of an animal is €4-4.50/kg.
"The Friesian might be less than €4/kg in general but anything else is over the €4/kg mark."
On the cow trade, Drury said there was an 850kg Friesian cow that made €2,900 or €3.50/kg and noted that "last year, €1.50-1.80/kg would buy these Friesian cows".
Another 800kg Charolais cow made €3,700 or €4.62/kg while "a full Jersey cow weighing 555kg made €1,760 or €3.17/kg".
There were approximately 100 weanling bulls on offer in the sale with plain-type 175kg Angus males making up to €880/head.
Drury said that the numbers of cattle on offer at Cootehill Mart are running ahead of what was expected but added that he expects the numbers available for sale at marts to drop off in the next few weeks.