Elphin Mart has closed temporarily with next Monday’s sale also cancelled, due to a mart customer being a close contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case.
The mart’s manager, Gerry Connellan, confirmed this to Agriland, and said that the safety of the mart’s staff and customers was the main priority in the decision to temporarily close the Roscommon-based mart.
Speaking about the temporary closure of Elphin Mart due to Covid-19, Gerry said: “When we found out that a customer of the mart was a close contact to a confirmed case of Covid-19. We took immediate action and spoke to the Department of Agriculture – where it was decided the best thing to do was [to] close the mart temporarily.
“Our usual sales are not going ahead next Monday (April 26). Instead, we will be back in action two days later on Wednesday (April 28) at 11:00a.m where we have over 250 bullocks and over 100 heifers booked in.
“Look, it’s not ideal, but it was the right and safest action to take. The mart’s and my priority is to make sure the staff and customers are safe.
“All going well, we’ll be back to normal next Wednesday,” he concluded.
Marts continue online
Meanwhile, most marts are continuing to trade online as Covid-19 government resitrctions remain in place.
Earlier this month, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said it is “monitoring the situation and will liaise with marts in due course” in relation to any easing of Covid-19 restrictions over the coming weeks.
“Health measures are still necessary for the time being,” a spokesperson said.
The government is expected to review current restrictions this week, with an announcement of a plan due next week about easing some lockdown restrictions from next month.
It’s still unclear if marts will be included in the areas where restrictions might be eased.