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Concerns are growing that mart trade along the border will be hit by a hard Brexit on 31 October.
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has confirmed that standardised checks for live animals have not been agreed between the UK and European Commission in the event of a hard Brexit.
Coveney made specific reference to the impact on the lamb and cattle trade in the event of a no-deal.
He added that “tens of thousands of livestock” were bought in the south by northern buyers and that this trade could dry up in a hard Brexit scenario.
John Tevlin, the mart manager for Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, said that it is heavily reliant on northern buyers travelling across the border to the south to buy cattle.
“We had one of the busiest spring sales ever, with northern buyers coming down and bidding against each other.
“If there was a hard Brexit it could devastate the trade. Cattle going north are already subject to Department of Agriculture checks so you would hope that they wouldn’t get any worse.”
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