Coronavirus: Marts to provide limited trading services
Marts have been invited to offer limited livestock trading services, subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture’s veterinary inspectors.
Only essential activities, that minimise the potential for contact between people, will be allowed.
Marts wishing to engage in such activities should submit a detailed written standard operating procedure (SOP) to the Superintending Veterinary Inspector (SVI) in the local Regional Veterinary Office.
Such activities can include marts offering a service for farmers to deliver calves, by appointment, so that orders for purchase can be matched and facilitated via the mart.
Or marts could offer a weighing service for lots of older livestock (cattle or sheep), by appointment, with the mart facilitating the transaction between a buyer and a seller.
Other activities, including online activities, and other uses of new technology can be considered.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed confirmed normal mart auction activity cannot resume until further notice.
Any services must comply with the Government’s announcements and HSE guidelines on Covid-19.
They must support the orderly sale of animals necessary to support the essential business of farming, such as where the movement of animals is essential, and to maintain the food supply chain, and protect the health and welfare of animals.
There must be full compliance with hygiene and social distancing guidelines.
Only a minimum number of staff necessary for the safe running of operations can be present at any one time in the marts. There seems little reason that this need to involve more than three or four people, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The number of clients in the mart at one time must be minimised also, through phone contact, individual appointment times for sellers to drop off cattle, and for buyers to view or collect cattle.
Until they have written confirmation from the SVI that their proposal is satisfactory, marts should not resume any activities in their premises.
