Beatties’ Livestock Sales has acquired Fivemiletown Mart in Co. Tyrone. The business was previously owned by Patterson Stewart.
The inaugural sale, under the new ownership took place on Monday of this week (April 17) with 97 store cattle going through the ring.
“The plan is to build the sale up to around 200 cattle per week,” Richard Beattie told Agriland.
“And this is achievable. We had a tremendous turnout of quality cattle sale, all suckler bred animals. And the prices paid were excellent.”
Fivemiletown Mart
The mart premises is directly adjacent to the public car par in Fivemiletown.
Richard Beattie does not intend adding to the facilities already in place.
He is also aware of the fact that Clogher Mart is less than 10 minutes away from his new premises, with Enniskillen less than half an hour away in the opposite direction.
“This is all about retaining the heart in small rural towns like Fivemiletown and providing a needed service to local farmers,” he said.
“There are plenty of shops and eating locations in the town that are literally a couple of minutes’ walk from the mart.
“So farmers selling stock and those buying them are more than well catered for.”
The plan is to retain the mart as a centre for beef cattle sales. Neither dairy stock or sheep are part of Richard Beattie’s plans.
Cattle sales will be held each Monday at 11:00a.m. This expansion to the business sees Richard Beattie and his wife Selina at the helm of six sale yards which include: Beatties’ Pedigree Centre Omagh; Draperstown; Gortin; Lisahally; Pomeroy; and now Fivemiletown Mart.
All sales are hybrid with buyers participating both ringside and via Marteye app.
“It will be possible to get up to 200 cattle through the ring in Fivemiletown in a relatively short period of time,” Beattie added.
“Above all else, this is reducing the amount of stress imposed on the animals.”
Commenting generally on the current state of the cattle trade, Beattie said that prices looked set to remain strong.
“It can’t be any other way given the state of fertiliser and feed prices at the present time,” he said.