With its 2024 calf sales underway, Cork Marts has told farmers it is looking to clamp down on potential calf welfare issues.
Among the measures it will implement is a charge of €5/head for any calves that are not sold at the conclusion of a sale, to be payable by the seller.
Jonathan O’Sullivan, manager of Cork Marts, told Agriland: “We just need to make sure the quality of calves presented for sale is right.
“What we don’t want is very young calves that are not really suitable for the export market, or that are unsaleable coming to the mart.”
Cork Marts has told farmers across its six locations – Bandon, Corrin (Fermoy), Macroom, Skibbereen, Cahir (Co. Tipperary) and Dungarvan (Co. Waterford) – that any calves that go through the ring and are unsold will have to be collected by the seller or their agent at the end of the sale and will incur a handling charge of €5/head.
In a letter to farmers, Cork Marts said: “While we are confident that very few calves will fall into this category, we feel it is important to be clear and communicate our policy for the 2024 calf season.”
Other regulations in relation to calves that the mart group highlighted include:
- Calves presented for sale must be 11 days of age or older, and can be sold up to 42 days of age without a TB test;
- That calves be suitable for sale and healthy on arrival at the mart;
- If calves are deemed by staff to be not suitable for sale, they will not be accepted;
- Mart staff will intervene if anyone on the premises is seen to be mishandling calves;
- The use of sticks is prohibited.
Cork Marts told farmers: “As you will be aware, the issue of calf welfare came in for a lot of negative media attention last year and we will be under close observation in 2024. We must make every effort in our mart to ensure that all calves are properly taken care of and those passing through our facility are handled to the best welfare standards.”
O’Sullivan told Agriland that he understands the pressures that can arise on-farm, but that these measures, including the €5 charge, are “better for everyone”.
“We understand the pressures on farm level, but if calves are younger they need to be up against the 50kg mark to find them saleable.
“Light, 40kg calves are very hard sold, and we don’t want them landing into the mart and ending up being pushed out too premature. It’s better for everyone if the calves are good quality and as heavy as possible coming out for sale,” O’Sullivan added.