Taoiseach Michéal Martin is being called on to review level five restrictions in marts following a technical glitch which caused sales to be cancelled and left cattle unsold.

Under current restrictions, marts can only operate online, but software provider LSL Auctions experienced a serious technical difficulty and up to 16 online sales were cancelled or delayed, including a number of premier and pedigree breed sales.

Ray Doyle from mart representative body ICOS said the situation was a “disaster for the marts and farmers involved”.

He said that they had contacted the Department of Agriculture on the issue and were appealing to the Taoiseach Michéal Martin to review the situation.

“It reinforces the point that we need physical buyers in a mart,” Doyle said.

“We are asking the Taoiseach’s office to reconsider allowing a greatly restricted number of physical buyers in a ring, even if it was just for a temporary time frame over the lockdown period. ”

It is understood that marts operating with other forms of software have not experienced the same issues. LSL Auctions was contacted for comment on the subject, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Mart chaos

IFA President Tim Cullinan has said that the autumn trade is crucial to farmers who cannot afford to see it disrupted. He said he has contacted the minister on the issue.

"The reality is that relying on the 'online only' system is too ambitious. The system has been bedding down well as a complementary system to bidding at the ringside. However, clear challenges have now emerged related to broadband and the ability of systems to cope with the volume of cattle and bids during what it a hectic time of the year," he said.

ICSA beef chairman Edmund Graham said that the chaos caused by the disruption was unacceptable.

"I am calling on Minister McConalogue to urgently address this. It is quite clear that NPHET has no understanding whatsoever of how agriculture works but it is the case that food production has been deemed essential. If people are allowed buy meat in a supermarket, farmers must be able to buy and sell livestock in a mart,” he said.