Supply chain 'catastrophe' may force price drop on Leitrim cow farmers
“If you don’t have an export market or a viable export market, then you’re back to the own market, which cannot take all the cattle that’s there and give farmers a reasonable price.”
Leitrim farmers could face lower cattle prices following the closure of one of Ireland’s only export services to Europe, according to industry representatives.
Brittany Ferries announced earlier this week that it will cease carrying cattle from Ireland to the European market this year, a move which has raised concerns among mart operators and farmers.
Stephen Hanlon, general manager of Aviro marts, which operates several marts across Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, said the announcement came as a surprise.
“This announcement came as a surprise to us because we were led to believe a month ago that there was no need to be concerned,” he said.
Brittany Ferries was one of the only companies in Ireland providing a route for cattle exports to the European single market, with Irish Ferries now the only remaining service provider.
Small cattle farmers in counties such as Leitrim rely on marts to sell their animals, with exporters buying livestock at marts before transporting them to buyers on the continent.
The loss of a transport route could create difficulties for exporters in getting animals to European customers, potentially reducing the number of exporters competing for cattle at local marts.
Mr Hanlon said maintaining competition around the mart ring was vital for farmers.
“Farmers need every competitor they can around the rings when they go to sell their cattle, because the beef business in the west is hard enough to make money on us,” he said.
“If you don’t have an export market or a viable export market, then you’re back to the own market, which cannot take all the cattle that’s there and give farmers a reasonable price.”
The decision by Brittany Ferries comes amid changes in European demand, including moves by the Dutch government to significantly reduce imports of calves from Ireland.
More than 200,000 animals have been exported to Europe so far this year, with the Netherlands among the strongest buyers of Irish livestock on the continent.
Irish Ferries did not comment on how increased demand may affect its service but told the Leitrim Observer that there are no changes to its freight services to Europe.
Calls have been made across the farming sector for the Minister for Agriculture to intervene and ensure exporters retain access to European markets.
Leitrim councillor Paddy O’Rourke said the situation must be resolved.
“To have customers ready and willing to buy our cattle on the continent and now be unable to get transport to deliver them is unthinkable and must be resolved,” he said.
He said the loss of reliable ferry transport to the continent would have serious consequences for livestock farmers.
“The absence of reliable and frequent ferry transport to the continent would be a catastrophe for our livestock, with the season of the heaviest disposal of suckled weanlings just commencing, not to mention the huge export of dairy calves which kick off early in the new year.”