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The first cattle export boat of 2017 has arrived, with the MV Sarah docking at Waterford Port on Wednesday afternoon.
The boat is awaiting a final inspection from veterinary and marine experts in the Department of Agriculture. Officials flew down to Gibraltar earlier this year and carried out a preliminary inspection.
All going well, the dedicated carrier will be used by cattle exporter John Hallissey to transport breeding heifers to Turkey for sale on to local farms.
He has assembled cattle over recent months and they are now completing quarantine and all health tests.
Although based in the south west, he will load the cattle on board at Waterford Port.
The Sarah is a relatively small boat with 2,900 square meters of penned area, giving it a capacity of up to 2,000 young cattle. It is owned by DSM Lines, which is based in Beirut in Lebanon.
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