New general manager for Clare Marts
Martin McNamara is to take up the Ennis-based position later this year on the retirement of Donal Ryan after 35 years as general manager of Clare Marts Group which has grown from annual sales of £1.5m to €50m under his leadership.
Mr McNamara is widely known in the livestock industry as general manager of Athenry Mart, Co Galway. A native of Tulla, Co Clare he previously held the position of manager of Clare Farm Relief Services and also worked with IFAC, the farmer accounts co-op.
Yesterday's pay sheet returns from the beef factories confirmed that prices suffered the largest weekly drop of 2004 last week dropping by an average of almost 2p/lb.
The drop in the overall average for R3 bullocks was slightly short of 2p/lb, bringing the average paid a shade under 100p/lb, while the average paid for O3 bullocks fell by 2p/lb to 97p/lb. The average for R3 bullocks at both AIBP Group and Kepak Group dropped by 1.3p/lb, while the Dawn Group reduced their prices by an average of 1.6p/lb.
The fall in price was fairly uniform across the country. The top seven factories paid individual factory averages of between 104.7p/lb and 100.3p/lb for R3 bullocks compared with a range of 105.4p/lb to 102p/lb the previous week.
The average paid for R3 heifers fell by 1.3p/lb to 99.6p/lb, while prices paid for O3 heifers were 2p/lb lower at an average of 96p/lb.
Ashbourne Meats at Roscrea paid the highest prices at 86p/lb for O4H grade. Liffeys of Ballyjamesduff paid an average of 85p/lb for R4L and were the highest for P grade at just under 85p/lb for P+4H grade.
