Pignet lairage, located near Cherbourg Port in France, will reopen for Irish calves tomorrow, (Tuesday, April 4) Agriland has learned.
A spokesperson for Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has confirmed to Agriland that Pignet Control Post will reopen from tomorrow and can return to business as a lairage for Irish calves on route to their destination markets across mainland Europe.
The spokesperson said: “Today (Monday, April 3) at lunch time, French officials from the Prefecture de la Manche administration, notified the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), that the Pignet Control Post has been granted permission to reopen.
“This reopening will be effective from tomorrow, April 4. Department officials have notified stakeholders in the industry of this development.”
It is hoped the re-opening of Pignet lairage will see positivity return to the Irish calf trade as the number of Irish calves that can be supplied to customers on mainland Europe can return to normal levels.
French lairage suspension
On Friday, March 24, Calf exporters were told by the DAFM that services at Pignet Control Post in Cherbourg, France had been suspended.
The department issued an e-mail to calf exporters outlining that services at the Pignet Control Post in Cherbourg, France, had been suspended by French Authorities with immediate effect.
The DAFM email stated: “It will not be possible to make a booking there until further notice.”
All Irish calves travelling to mainland Europe through Cherbourg Port pass through one of two control posts. The two control posts at Cherbourg Port are Pignet and Qualivia.
Once the calves leave the boat, they go directly to one of these two control posts which act as feeding stations for the calves where they are fed and rested for approximately 12 hours.