Just 2 marts avail of marts ICT grant scheme so far agriland.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from agriland.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Image source: Tuam Co-operative Mart
While a return to the mart ringsides in the month of May is not foreseen, the prospect of getting buyers back to the mart rings by June has not been ruled out, according to the Mart Managers of Ireland.
The mart manager representative organisation held a meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue and officials from his department yesterday (Wednesday, April 28).
In a statement today following on from the meeting, the Mart Managers of Ireland said:
“Various topics were covered with the reopening of the mart rings being top of the list.
The Irish Charolais Cattle Society (ICCS) has hit out against the Department’s “unworkable” Level 5 mart protocols following its first pedigree bull sale of 2021.
ICCS secretary Nevan McKiernan said its online sale, which took place in Tullamore last Saturday, achieved just a 63pc clearance rate, with many breeders and buyers left “angry” after investing substantial time and money to prepare for the event.
Mr McKiernan said: “No exhibitors were allowed on site during viewing time, so when buyers came in to view the bulls, by appointment, there were no exhibitors there.
“It was very hard for a buyer to look at a bull standing up in a pen beside another bull and pay four or five thousand euro for that bull – it’s different with a normal commercial animal.
Concern over a new 40-day export residency rule for livestock going to Great Britain (GB) has been raised by mart managers and breed societies.
The post-Brexit rule set by UK authorities outlines that EU-origin cattle must be certified as having remained for 40 days on the holding of origin before import into GB.
Vendors are having to maintain animals on behalf of GB purchasers for 40 days post-sale.
While trade between the Republic and Northern Ireland is unaffected due to the NI Protocol, marts and breed societies say the rule is having “a major impact” on pedigree and commercial sales with fears it will “prevent” GB buyers attending Irish sales.
Mart managers and breed societies stress unworkable UK trade concern to minister agriland.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from agriland.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.