Fourth extension in two years at Gortatlea mart

It's often said that there are too many marts in Ireland with, some under pressure in terms of numbers and competition from online sales, but one Kerry mart has bucked the trend.

Gortatlea mart owner and manager Maurice Brosnan has recently added a fourth extension to the premises since he took over the running of the business from his uncle two years ago.

"I took over in January 2015 but I suppose I'm here over 30 years. I used to have to do the ring in my school clothes. My family have always been in the cattle business so it's in the blood. The mart has gone from strength to strength. It's beyond my dreams,” Brosnan told the Irish Farmers Journal.

He said that the cattle trade was sluggish following the Brexit vote but added that there had been a vast improvement in trade since Christmas.

“It's a mark of the mart’s success that it got to the point where I could hardly control the numbers, so much so that we have now gone to selling three days a week for the foreseeable future. We started with one day a week and I thought I'd be lucky to keep that going," Brosnan said.

Dry cows

Dry cows form an important part of the market in Gortatlea and were the driver for building the extension. There are more than 300 cows offered up for sale at times.

"We would be well known for the cow trade, so we had to make sure there are proper facilities here. The new work was done to sort and pen the cows easier.

"Before it might take three men whereas now one man could do it. There are 20 pens in the new extension, which should hold up to 340 cows,” Brosnan said.

Trying to keep every one happy in the mart scene is no easy task but Brosnan appears to be well up to the task.

"I'm on the phone the whole time. If someone does complain, I try and deal with it as best as I can. The main thing is to have a good word. If you say you'll do something, stand over that part of it and give everyone fair play, both the buyer and seller. You have to have both sides back again,” he said.

Change

Brosnan would not rule out opening a second ring at some point in the future, acknowledging that change is a constant part of business.

“When people are looked after, they keep coming back. We have buyers from the north and the midlands and they want numbers."

Good continental cattle are very hard sourced these days but those northern buyers are good for trade

"Good continental cattle are very hard sourced these days but those northern buyers are good for trade. They are a big help, especially since the sterling has settled down a bit.

"Competition is the life of trade. I love it, I get a great kick out of it but there is great pressure at times,” he said.

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