A number of farmers have expressed concern regarding money owed to them for livestock recently sold at Ballybay Mart in Co. Monaghan.
This concern comes following the Property Services Regulatory Authority’s (PSRA’s) temporary suspension of Ballybay Mart’s licence.
Ballybay Mart manager, Mattie Gilliland, told Agriland in an interview (Tuesday, November 16) that the mart’s licence had been “temporarily suspended until Tuesday, November 23”.
A reason for the suspension has not been confirmed by the PSRA.
Ballybay Mart is owned by Corcaghan Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy Society Ltd which is a member of the Irish Co-Operative Organisation Society (ICOS).
One farmer who received a cheque from Ballybay Mart last week was advised by the mart “not to lodge the cheque as the bank accounts have been closed for one week”, the farmer told Agriland.
However, ICOS is reassuring farmers that monies owed will be honored.
‘Accounts are frozen’
ICOS livestock and environmental services executive, Ray Doyle, told Agriland : “The accounts are frozen at this time until the suspension of the licence has been lifted by the authorities,” he explained.
“Everybody is optimistic that by the middle of next week, we will have these issues resolved.”
The ICOS executive said that farmers who are owed money by Ballybay Mart “won’t have anything to worry about”.
While it is still not clear why the licence has been suspended, Doyle said: “This is not a repeat of Castleblayney Mart. Ballybay Mart is fully licenced with the authorities [for all sales that had took place there].”
“Farmers do not need to worry that their funds are in jeopardy at all.”
Agriland has contacted the PSRA and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to the issue.