There was a 100% clearance of the 1,880 calves on offer at Castleisland Mart, Co. Kerry on Monday, April 14.
Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Nelius McAuliffe said: "It's not a year for selling calves at home. You wouldn't know what to ask for them".
The mart manager said that over the past eight weeks, the number of calves offered in the sale is up 500/week on last year and that "calves are getting dearer by the hour".
McAuliffe said: "I met a farmer who had 16 Angus bull calves in the sale and he asked me would they make €350/calf - 12 of them went on to average €540/head."
"The calf that was making €5 last year is making €200 this year."
Commenting on the trade this week in what was the biggest sale of calves at the mart venue to date this year, the mart manager said: "We got from €200-250 for Friesian bull calves and some of them were only at €5 and €10 last year."
He said Friesian bull calves were making €200-250/head with the top of them going to €330-340/calf.
Angus calves were making from €300 up to €650 for a strong 80kg six-week-old Angus bull calf, while Hereford calves were making from €300 for light calves up to €650-700 for strong calves.
Continental-bred calves made from €500 up to €1,000, with 70-90kg Charolais bull calves making from 900-€1,000 in the sale, some of which were suckler-bred and some of which were bred of Friesian cows.
"Next Monday is a bank holiday and traditionally, Castleisland do have a massive sale that Easter Bank Holiday Monday," the mart manager noted.
McAuliffe said that calves have come out at "much the same time as last year" to be sold but said that the mart venue's catchment area is getting bigger.
He said that the buyer activity at the mart venue is strong from customers across Ireland, with three northern buyers active at the sale as well as export customers.
He said that there are also several farmers who would have previously bought yearlings that have moved into buying calves for this year.
McAuliffe said: "It a super trade currently, we have plenty of customers and there is a fantastic penning system in operation for the calf sale.
"Any farmer that buys a calf gets a pen. The sale ended at 5:00p.m. yesterday and there was no calf left by 7:00p.m. We can sell 100-120 lots/hour."