High prices force export drop
Live export figures for the first three months of 2004 show a drop of over 57 per cent in the export of weanlings and young stores, a slide in export demand which has been attributed to the uncompetitiveness of Irish livestock relative to supplies from the Continent and the Lebanon.
The export trade for calves was also hit with a drop of 22 per cent for the quarter. Exports were particularly slow for the first two months of the year with a slight pick up in demand as prices eased during the second half of March.
