The proposed three-year restriction on the sale of cows from herds that have had TB has seriously irked mart managers.

They questioned the justification for the move, given that the herds the cows are being sold from will have gone clear for TB.

“It is absolutely ludicrous,” said Maurice Brosnan, manager of Gortatlea Mart in Co Kerry.

“Around 90-95% of the cows sold through the ring here go straight for slaughter or are bought for feeding and are going for slaughter in a few months anyway,” Brosnan pointed out.

“Around 5-10% of the cows at most go for recycling,” he maintained.

“There’s no advantage in the wide earthly world to what is being proposed,” he added.

“All the Department is doing here [by introducing the three-year restriction] is taking competition out of the market,” Brosnan maintained.

“There’s an excellent trade out there for cows at the moment and that’s because there is so much competition for them,” he said.

Brosnan said the Department’s proposal would seriously hit cow prices and farmer incomes.

Michael Harty of Central Auctions – which operates marts in Roscrea, Nenagh and Birr – echoed the sentiments expressed by his Kerry counterpart.

“I can’t see why the restriction is so much on cows, when you can sell bullocks, heifers and calves from the same herd,” Harty said.

“It’s going to really restrict and limit the way [affected] farmers can sell their cows,” he added.

“There is a serious trade for good store cows at the moment because cattle are so expensive,” Harty pointed out.

“I know this is only a proposal, but what do they hope to achieve?” he asked.

“The vast majority of the cows going through the marts are going for further feeding and then for slaughter,” Harty maintained.