Cattle buyers from another country can be the best outlet a calf seller has, or the most expensive lesson of the year. The difference rarely shows in the first phone call. It shows in how the buyer handles paperwork, payment terms and the first loading. If you rear or trade calves and a foreign buyer gets in touch, a few checks before the first lot will tell you most of what you need to know.
We buy calves abroad for Polish farms, so this is written from the buyer’s side of the table: the questions serious sellers ask us, and the answers they should expect from anyone they ship to.
What to check before you sell to foreign cattle buyers
Start with the company, not the offer. A buyer who wants regular lots across a border should be easy to identify. Ask for the full legal name, the registered address and the official registration numbers. In Poland that means the KRS number from the national court register, plus REGON and NIP. A buyer with nothing to hide will have these on its website and in its email footer. Ours are listed on the company page, together with the office address near Gostyń.
Then check that the numbers match the name. If the company on the register is different from the one on the business card, ask why before you go further.
A few more signs are worth noting early:
- A named contact person who answers the phone and replies to emails in a language you both use.
- An email address on the company’s own domain rather than a free mailbox.
- Clear information about which animals they buy and from which countries.
None of this proves a buyer is good, but it filters out the ones who do not want to be found.
Terms in writing: price basis, payment and lot size
The second check is whether the buyer will put terms in writing before any animal moves. Verbal deals across a border, in a second language, leave too much room for argument at the scale.
At a minimum, the written terms should cover four things.
Price basis and currency
Ask where the price applies and in which currency. Many buyers in intra-EU trade buy ex works, which means the price is set at your farm or collection point and the buyer takes over from there. We work on that basis, quote in EUR and agree the price per head for each lot; there is no published price list. If you are not sure what an EXW deal leaves on your side, our note on what ex works covers for a calf seller walks through it.
Payment terms
Payment terms are where most disputes start. Agree them before the first loading, not on the day. Who pays, how many days after collection, against which documents, and to which account. A reliable buyer will not mind putting it in writing.
Lot size and specification
Make sure both sides mean the same thing by “a lot”. Our minimums are 28 head for TYPE 1 transport, up to around eight hours’ drive, and 150 head for TYPE 2, long distance with a trailer. Weight classes we publish are indicative only. The actual specification, including breed, sex, age and weight, is agreed per lot and written down.
A trial lot
For a new relationship, a trial shipment is sensible for both parties. It tests collection, documents and payment without putting a season at risk. Size and terms of the trial should also be agreed in advance.
Transport and documents: who does what
The third check is practical. Ask the buyer exactly how collection works. Who sends the truck, when, and what happens if the certificate is late.
A buyer that buys EXW and runs its own trucks should be able to tell you the transporter’s authorisation, the vehicle approval and the driver’s certificate of competence, as required under Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005. We collect with our own trucks, so the seller does not need to organise transport. Long journeys also need a journey log, which the transporter keeps.
On the document side, the rules are the same whoever buys your calves:
- Every animal individually identified with ear tags and a bovine passport.
- An EU INTRA animal health certificate created in TRACES NT and certified by the official veterinarian before dispatch.
- No loading before the certificate is issued.
As of October 2026, these requirements follow Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, as published on EUR-Lex. A buyer who suggests loading “and sorting the certificate later” is telling you something useful about how they work. Our buying process page sets out the order we follow.
Questions to ask on the first call
A short list of direct questions does most of the work. Ask them early and compare the answers with what happens later.
- Which countries do you already buy in, and for how long?
- What types and weight classes of calves do you take, and is there a minimum lot?
- Do you collect, and with whose trucks?
- What price basis and currency do you use?
- When and how do you pay, and can we agree that before the first loading?
- Can we start with a trial lot?
- Who is my contact, and in which languages can we work?
For reference, we buy in eleven supplier countries, take dairy replacement heifers, bull calves for fattening and weaned beef calves, and work in Polish, Russian and English. If a buyer cannot answer questions like these clearly, keep looking.
Signs of a buyer worth a second lot
The first lot tells you whether the paperwork was real. The second tells you whether the relationship is. A good buyer collects when agreed, pays when agreed and gives straight feedback on the calves, including the ones that did not fit.
Look for a buyer that wants repeat supply rather than one-off bargains. Regular lots suit both sides: you can plan rearing and sales, and the buyer can plan placements on its farms. Our view on long-term work with suppliers is set out on the partners page, and the article on building a working relationship with a Polish buyer covers the first months in more detail.
If you have calves to offer and want to test us against this checklist, send the basics through the supplier form: country, breed, sex, numbers per month, age, weight and whether documents are ready. Lots and papers are also covered in the FAQ, or call +48 691 900 728.