A Facebook group composed primarily of suckler farmers and with over 6,500 members is set to host a series of mart sales starting today (Wednesday, July 20).
Members of the ‘Irish Suckler Society’ Facebook group have organised the sales in conjunction with the respective mart managers and the sales will feature ‘suckler-bred cattle only’.
According to Ger O’Brien, one of the founders of the Facebook group and a 70-cow suckler farmer from Callan, Co. Kilkenny, the sales will take place at Roscrea, Carnew and Kilkenny Mart.
The group’s suckler-bred cattle sales will take place as follows:
- Roscrea Mart, Co. Tipperary, Wednesday, July 20, at 4:00p.m;
- Carnew Mart, Co. Wicklow, Saturday, August 6;
- Kilkenny Mart, Co. Kilkenny, Tuesday, October 4.
The society has appealed to all buyers and sellers of this type of cattle to “support the sales” which will see a variety of quality beef cattle and suckler cows on offer.
The Roscrea sale will feature a special entry of cows as well as breeding heifers and in-calf heifers and the Carnew sale will see an entry of fatstock. Finally, the sale taking place in Kilkenny will feature a show and sale of weanlings.
The Roscrea sale will feature two suckler clearance sales and included in the entries will be a number of pedigree Limousin heifers, as well as quality maiden and in-calf commercial heifers.
O’Brien added that the aim of the group is to “promote the quality of the suckler-bred cattle we have here in Ireland” .
He also said that the online group has further plans to host these type of sales at marts around the country in the future.
“We hosted the first sale in April and what were aiming to do is to try and get more marts to have these ‘quality cattle’ sales,” he said.
“We have a great product and we hope to promote and grow the suckler brand out of this.”