As Cork Marts prepared for three sales in the county, its CEO Seán O’Sullivan outlined how the new 100-person limit will be operated and why it is important that marts remain open.

Is it all systems go for Skibbereen, Macroom and Corrin?

“All systems go might be a strong term. Certainly the sales are going ahead, but in line with the national situation and the guidelines issued by the government, we need to adapt and change how we do our business.

"We are asking people who do not have direct business to do in our mart centres on the sale day – in other words if they're not selling, if they're not buying – maybe they should seriously consider not coming in, and we would ask them not to come in.

"We need to restrict the number of people gathering in any one location to 100 indoors.

National effort

"If we could encourage the people who don't have direct business, for the sake of the couple of weeks. This is a national effort, we all need to play our part. We would ask those people to stay away and let those who really need to do business, who need to sell their stock, and those who need to buy stock, please let them come in and do their business. So that we can all continue in business, and that the mart will be there when you need it and when you need to come in to do business."

John McCarthy, Banogue, and Tim Corridan, Fedamore, Co Limerick, at a dairy sale at Corrin Mart, Fermoy. \ Donal O'Leary

How exactly will you limit the 100 number into the ring?

“Well, I suppose there's going to be two approaches.

"One is the kind of information campaign to try and encourage people not to come in if they have business.

Secondly, on the sale when people do come in, we will limit the numbers going into sales rings by some kind of a ticketing or numbering system, whereby we will be able to control and monitor the number of people who are in the ring.

"We will be asking people for their cooperation and support, as we try and do this. This is a national effort. We all need to do our part."

Do you see the 100 limit making a difference to the trade?

“I would be very confident. If you have 100 people inside any sales ring and if you have 50 of them doing business, you will have a very good sale, because you're going to only have a few sellers at any one time in the ring and in terms of buyers, if you have buyers around the ringside, a dozen buyers actively participating in a sale, you have a good sale.

I would not have any concerns about the restriction of 100 people in a sales ring.

Tom Condon, South Cregg, Fermoy waits for the cattle sales to begin at Corrin Mart. \ Donal O'Leary

With schools closed, will children be allowed in?

“I would be very hopeful that parents will not bring children into marts in the current climate. We love to see big clouds around marts and young people in particular, in a normal situation.

We're not in normal times

"We want the marts to be able to continue to trade, and we want it to be available for those who need to do business.

"For the next couple of weeks, it's not going to be a social event going to the map, which it has been in the past, and hopefully will again be in the near future."

So you’re open for business but with the operating procedures in place?

“As it stands, I think it's important that we do that.

"Human health is the priority here, but I think it's important that farmers can sell their livestock, because it could be, I suppose, an animal health issue if they can't, and we don't want to create that. We all have to play our part.

"I think, in fairness, the general public were very supportive of farmers 20-odd years ago during the foot and mouth crisis. I think farmers will now understand that they'll have to respect and abide by these restrict restrictions for the wellbeing of the general population.”