Aurivo Marts has announced that it has agreed a protocol with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the recently announced Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for livestock marts.
In a statement this evening, Friday, April 3, a spokesperson for the group said:
“The agreement of this protocol comes under the provision of limited essential services at marts.
The protocol will commence on Monday, April 6, and will involve the matching of sellers and buyers of all livestock.
“The process will offer a guaranteed payment, accurate weights and the precise movement of livestock within the AIM [Animal Identifications and Movements] system.
“Aurivo asks for the continued support of its customers as it endeavours to provide service under these difficult circumstances,” the representative said.
“Customers are advised to contact Aurivo Marts by phone or email for further information,” the Aurivo spokesperson concluded.
Survey
A survey of 1,100 farmers has revealed that 78% of farmers are dependent on marts to sell cattle and 59% use marts to buy cattle.
The survey – conducted recently by Herdwatch – also showed that 94% of farmers sell animals multiple times per year and one in four sells animals every other month or less.
Most farmers sell animals via a mixture of marts, direct to other farms or factories – and 26% sell via all three.
According to Herdwatch, the main reasons given why farmers sell at the mart is “to get the fairest market price”.