All livestock sailings from Ireland to Cherbourg, France, have been cancelled for tomorrow (Thursday, March 30) and Friday (March 31) due to unsuitable sea conditions.
Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have cancelled all livestock on sailings on both days due to what was described as “an unforeseen change in sea conditions”.
There has been no indication if livestock sailings will recommence over the weekend.
The development comes as Irish calf export numbers recently suffered a blow due to the suspension of a lairage near Cherbourg Port in France, where many Irish calves pass through en-route to their destination markets on mainland Europe.
This lairage remains out of action and it is hoped a resolution can be found and the lairage can reopen without delay.
The lairage suspension reduced the number of calves that could be exported per sailing and today’s confirmation that livestock sailings have been cancelled will result in calf exports coming to a total halt for the next two days.
The demand for export-type calves is closely linked with export capacity and the news of sailing cancellations is likely to further reduce buying activity from calf exporters over the coming few days.
Farmers who have calves to sell at the mart have been advised to contact the mart in advance of bringing calves out to get a clearer picture of demand and buying activity.
This may mean that some calves may have to be kept on-farm for an additional few days until livestock sailings recommence and demand picks up again.
The demand for stronger-type, better calves which are of more interest to farmer-buyers will not be as severley impacted by latest developments and the trade remains steady for these better-type calves.
This is not the first time this year that sailings have been cancelled due to weather conditions nor is it unusual.