Too many marts, says Coughlan

There are arguably too many livestock marts, Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan told the annual conference dinner of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (ICOS) in Dublin last night.

She said many marts are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain commercial viability and keep pace with the demands of today's societal, environmental and regulatory environment.

"A move to greater collaboration and perhaps fewer marts, offering better facilities to clients while providing the necessary geographic coverage, would be in the longer term interests of Irish agriculture", she said.