A new ferry is expected to be approved for Irish calf exports, according to superintending veterinary inspector at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Rob Doyle.

Speaking at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine meeting – which took place today (Tuesday, January 29) – Doyle explained that “the ferry has been inspected” and that “there are some issues to be resolved”.

He added: “It has been already approved for pets and horses and we expect approval for cattle to follow. We understand from the ferry company that the ship will begin to sail to France in late March.”

Doyle said if all the lairage is used, the ship will increase export capacity from 12,000/week to 28,000/week.

He explained: “The ship will sail on a 48-hour schedule. Currently, sailings are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; so, every second week there will be sailings seven days a week.”

This will mean that during peak season, ferries will be exporting “80,000 calves/month”, according to Doyle.

We should be able to export in two months; the equivalent of what calves we exported last year.

Concluding, Doyle remarked that it will be “a very significant increase in capacity and it should take a lot of pressure off the system”.