Strong calf trade helps lift dairy farmer margins

The run of consistently strong calf values shows no signs of easing, with prices staying firm until at least mid-August when autumn-calving herds start to boost supply.

Auctioneers nationwide report averages of up to £700 paid for good quality beef calves, but prices are buoyant in all categories.

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At Carmarthen Livestock Mart, Nock Deighton sold 291 calves at its latest weekly sale when Charolais bulls went under the hammer at £825 and heifers at £700. Friesian and Holstein bulls averaged £237/head.

In recent weeks, average prices for all calves sold, beef and dairy combined, have hovered at £460-£480, up about £50/head on 2025 prices, said auctioneer Elwyn Thomas.

“It is the lower end calves that have gone up a notch,” he explained. “Buyers who used to budget £200-£300 for a calf are now buying lesser quality animals instead of spending a bit more. That is really boosting the bottom end.”

While this is lifting income for dairy farmers, values achieved at the weaned calf sale at Carmarthen on 6 July reflect the good margins being captured by beef producers too.

“Five-month-old Blues averaged £1,100 for one farmer who had paid around £500 to buy them in, so that turnaround is pretty strong,” said Mr Thomas.

Calf numbers

Throughput of calves at Market Drayton Market, meanwhile, has averaged 450-600 in recent weeks, but the mart operator expects numbers to lift to nearer 800-1,000 from mid to late August.

“What that will mean for prices we will have to wait and see, but I don’t think they are currently sustainable because they are not in line with finished product values,” said auctioneer Jonty Cliffe

Last week’s sale of rearing calves at Market Drayton saw 17 Simmental bulls average £680 and 107 Blue bulls £610; all beef and dairy bulls averaged £513 and heifers £456.

At 2.51m, calf registrations in Great Britain in 2025 were down by 21,000 on the previous year.

Phenomenal prices

Alastair Brown, policy and strategy officer at the Livestock Auctioneers Association, said “absolutely phenomenal” prices were undoubtedly good news for sellers.

“I jokingly said to two farmers who were walking out of the calf ring on Saturday that I had never seen such smiley farmers, but the buyers were pleased as punch too because they had got some nice calves.”