Kingscourt Mart rolls out new sale service for TB-restricted herds
Kingscourt Mart in Co. Cavan has rolled out a new service for farmers with herds that are restricted as a result of a bovine tuberculosis (TB) outbreak.
As part of the new service available to farmers, herds that are restricted under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's (DAFM's) TB Eradication Scheme, and have cattle to sell, can contact the livestock mart.
The mart venue has a large number of controlled finishing units (CFUs) that are "actively seeking to purchase all types of cattle”.
Subject to district veterinary office (DVO) approval, the mart will facilitate an online auction where CFU herds can bid on the entries.
CFU herds are eligible to purchase cattle from restricted herds once certain conditions are met.
Speaking to Agriland, Kingscourt Mart manager Lisa Keenan explained how the new service will work.
She said: "So basically, one of our crew goes out to the farmer with the restricted herd. The reactors have to be gone off the farm before we can actually sell the cattle.
"We go out, take a video of the cattle, circulate it to our feedlot customers and the form we see it taking is cattle sold on a price per kilo basis through an online auction."
She explained that the cattle will be weighed and once all is agreed, the feedlot will pay the mart and the mart will then pay the customer.
Keenan said: "We have a lot of farmers coming to us looking to contact a CFU to buy their cattle but they're working on one price, so this will introduce an element of market value to the transaction. We're introducing competition to it."
The mart manager said that there is already a high level of interest in the new service from both restricted herds and CFU herds.
"The CFUs are delighted to have the opportunity to know of the cattle when they come for sale and to have the opportunity to make an offer for them."
She also noted that the new service will hopefully alleviate concerns where farmers with restricted herds do not have sufficient facilities to keep all cattle.
"There are farmers sending cattle to the factory that are not fit because they don't have the facilities to keep the cattle - now they have an option to go another route with their cattle."
