The Irish Charolais Cattle Society has 93 cattle catalogued for its spring premier sale, taking place this Saturday, 14 March.There were questions about the sale going ahead given the escalation in coronavirus cases over the last few days and government advice on large gatherings of people.
The Irish Charolais Cattle Society has 93 cattle catalogued for its spring premier sale, taking place this Saturday, 14 March.
There were questions about the sale going ahead given the escalation in coronavirus cases over the last few days and government advice on large gatherings of people.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Thursday night, society secretary Nevan McKiernan said: “We have taken the decision to proceed with the sale. We consulted with the relevant authorities and they are happy that if we limit numbers to 100 around the ring, the sale can go ahead.
"We will put in place all the precautions we can."
He outlined the planned procedures.
"Bidding numbers will be issued to all prospective purchasers and in the ring, we will have people at both entry points admitting people on presentation of their bidding number.
“There will be a large screen in the lairage area where a “tic tac” will be present for people who can’t enter the ring. This person will communicate bids back to the auctioneer,” said McKiernan.
The mart is asking all other people who are not purchasers or exhibitors not to come to the mart on Saturday.
Breeders have been preparing for months for this sale
“We’ll do everything in our power to make sure the trade isn’t affected. If any purchaser wishes to buy a bull they should contact myself or Elphin mart office to arrange bidding over the phone,” the secretary said.
“Breeders have been preparing for months for this sale and it’s one of the most important sales in our calendar,” he added.
Limousin Premier show and saleThe Irish Limousin Cattle Society also has an important premier show and sale taking place on Sunday and Monday 15 and 16 March. There are 79 bulls catalogued for this sale.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, breed secretary Paul Sykes said: “We are proceeding with the sale after taking everything into account. We will be limiting the people around the ring to 100 people and we will take all the necessary precautions during the weekend.”
Similar to the Charolais sale, there will be a “tic tac” in the lairage taking bids.
We will take all the necessary precautions during the weekend
“We will also be running the sale live online on a web cam and we will have phone bidding as an option on the day of the sale. We want the minimum amount of disruption to the sale while taking all precautions to avoid any spread of coronavirus,” said Sykes.
Other sales going ahead
Other mart sales going ahead on Friday include Dowra, Roscommon, Cootehill, Gortatlea, Cavan and Drumshambo.
Saturday sales in Dowra, Mohill and Carrigallen will also go ahead as normal.
All marts will be operating the same rules of 100 people maximum allowed around rings.
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