The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett has said that Mountrath Mart is set to “reopen in the coming months”.
The mart, which is located in Co. Laois, ceased trading on January 9, 2019 due to rising costs and insurance premiums.
In a social media post, the Green Party senator, who represents the Laois-Offaly constituency, said that it is her understanding that operations at mart are now set to resume.
Hackett said it is envisaged that there will be two livestock sales held on a weekly basis.
She added that there are also plans in the longer term to hold machinery sales at the midlands mart.
The minister said that the development was “super news” for the local community, local farmers and local jobs.
Speaking with Agriland, the Minister Hackett said:
“I believe there was a meeting during the week of the mart committee or owners and they have come to some sort of agreement to try and reopen the mart over the next number of weeks; maybe four to six weeks is my understanding.
“I think it is really welcome. Certainly, it is a large catchment that area of Laois and into Offaly.
“It’s a mart that we would have brought our cattle to over the years,” she said.
The minister said that since the mart closed in 2019 farmers have “to travel a lot further” to marts in Tullamore, Nenagh, Roscrea or Ballinakill in south Laois.
“I think it’s really welcome development. I wish them all the best,” she added.
Hackett said that the news has been warmly welcomed by both farmers and local people that she has spoken with.
“Even non-farmers see the benefit of Mountrath reopening. It’s going to be a good thing,” she said.
Mountrath Mart
At the time it closed, there were no debts at Mountrath Mart and the co-operative had funding to keep the facility going.
However, it was decided by the co-op committee that due to spiralling costs, trading was no longer viable.
The price of insurance for the facility had risen four times in the previous four years, with €2,000 spent per week in overheads before any trading could commence.
This, coupled with the fall in value of cattle going through the pens, meant that the business was deemed to be not sustainable going forward.
Minister Hackett said she was sure that the mart committee had considered all of these issues in their discussions, adding that “they think it will work”.