Marts are ‘keeping show on the road’

Cattle sales – on a transaction-by-transaction basis – have been up-and-running since April 3, with mostly agents buying, many of them for farmer clients with Summer grass now available.

There is also an urgency as regards farmers who just keep cattle for the outdoor grass season as they must fulfil a seven-month retention period to qualify for their payments.

Marts across the county are also to have ‘private’ sheep sales from this week with the farmer dropping off his animals at the mart, getting them weighed, with buyers then making a written bid for the stock.

Managers of marts have had to complete Dept. of Agriculture protocol forms for both the sales of sheep and cattle with very strict guidelines and regulations to be adhered to: no personal contact takes place between buyers and sellers at the marts.

Tuam Mart Manager, Marion Devane, told the Farming Tribune that while the volume of sales would be small in comparison to the normal numbers going through at this time of the year, at least business was being done and the system was working.

“It’s mostly agents that are buying and many of them are buying for farmers who want to buy in stock for the Summer.

“The farmer makes contact with the mart; drops off the cattle at the entrance; the seller can then see them being weighed; and then it’s a matter of agreeing the price with the mart handling the sale details,” said Marion Devane.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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