Livestock exporters have been urged to work together and put on a united front to secure transport capacity for Irish cattle, and particularly calves.

A meeting took place in Athlone this evening (Saturday, August 15) in response to the decision of Brittany Ferries to cease transporting livestock.

The meeting was organised by Independent Ireland, and was led by two of the party's members; namely TD Michael Fitzmaurice and MEP Ciaran Mullooly.

TD Michael Collins, the leader of Independent Ireland, was also in attendance.

Representatives from livestock exporter businesses and farm organisations attended the meeting.

Much of the meeting featured speakers at the top table - especially Fitzmaurice - asking live exporters in attendance what impact the loss of Brittany Ferries would have, and what would need to happen to address any shortage of capacity.

There was some difference of opinion among exporter representatives over how detrimental the loss of Brittany Ferries' service will be, and what approach should be taken.

Fitzmaurice urged the exporters in the room to work together to deal with the issue and pursue solutions.

He said that "all parts of the jigsaw" are needed to develop a long-term strategy for the live export sector, and he called on those present to keep "the bigger picture" in mind.

He and other Independent Ireland representatives called for the "green jersey" to be put on by everyone involved in the sector.

Activists

The meeting heard a great deal of criticism of the animal welfare activists whose protests at the UK port of Portsmouth prompted Brittany Ferries to cease transporting livestock.

There was much frustration at the fact that only a small number of protesters - about 25 people - caused enough difficulty for the ferry operator that it felt the need to cease livestock transport.

The meeting also heard claims that UK police were called to the scene of these protests on almost 50 separate occasions, but officers only responded to about half of those.

Other matters raised at the meeting included the additional impact of lairage shortages in France; the level of commitment from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to supporting live exports; and securing the commitment of Irish Ferries - the last ferry operator transporting livestock from Ireland - to continue transporting livestock, particularly in the light of a possible change in ownership there.

Next steps

The meeting ended with the Independent Ireland representatives putting forward a plan on their next steps.

The party intends to meet with management of Irish Ferries to discuss its future plans for livestock transport, and its capacity to carry calves during the peak period of February, March and April.

The party then plans to engage with all livestock exporters and farm organisations to come together as a united force on the issue, with Mullooly asking the farm organisations to "be ready for that call".

They will hold a public meeting to discuss proposals on a way forward, before seeking a meeting with the department and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mullooly called for a show of hands of those who would support the formation of an industry group on livestock exports comprising exporters and farm organisations, with most people present raising their hands.

Michael Fitzmaurice also proposed calling the department into the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food to answer questions on live exports, a proposal supported by his committee colleague and Fine Gael senator Paraic Brady, who was in attendance at Saturday's meeting.