Major slump hits marts as fewer cattle on sale

THERE were 18% fewer cattle in 2002 in the marts of Ireland than in 2000.

The computerised Cattle Movement Monitoring System has confirmed that the mart business had deteriorated since 2000, when 1.69m cattle were offered for sale.

Throughput slumped to 1.11m in 2001, the foot and mouth year, and recovered to 1.38m in 2002.

But sources in the ICOS Co-operative Marts Committee are looking forward to a boost in throughput this year, because the use of post cattle movement notification forms will be banned by the Department of Agriculture, from June.

Farm to farm movements will be allowed only after the issuing of permits.

CMMS statistics show that in 2002, 817,000 farm to farm cattle movements took place more than 37% of all cattle movements.

Just over half of them were recorded on notification forms.

Sources in the co-op marts now anticipate that the permit system which was introduced when Foot and Mouth movement restrictions were lifted will be enforced from June onwards.

But farmers who use the marts will not have to apply for permits in advance; instead, the mart will process the movement through the CMMS.