It’s a guessing game all round as marts battle to keep the trade afloat

Some buyers may be over-paying as more farmers hold on to stock until some stability returns

Mart staff continue to make every effort to facilitate the matching of those with cattle to sell and those wishing to buy. Apart from trying to get deals closed, managers are also fielding a constant stream of phone calls.

Ask Jim Bushe – if you can get him on the phone. “I decided to turn off my phone for half an hour to get a bite to eat one of the days and when I turned it back on I’d 27 missed calls,” he said.

Jim’s experience is an example of how the current system is just not up to coping with the pressure that is out there from all sides.

Make no mistake, numbers are being moved – be they through the marts or by private sales – but speaking with managers up and down the country they believe a lot of stock remains unsold and may not appear until the current crisis has stabilised.

The reasons for this are varied. Some sellers believe that the current systems are not capable of returning the real market value of their animals.

Others, who don’t want to use either the weigh and sale or tender system, are also reluctant to go down the private sales’ route again because they don’t think they will get a decent price and they also fear getting “stung” should the funds not be there to back up the buyer’s bank account.

From the buyers’ perspective, the choice of easily accessible numbers that you would normally have at this time of year are not there despite all the efforts being made to keep the trade afloat.

The state of play with prices is covered (opposite) in our mart reports, and several mart managers told me that some buyers are possibly over-paying at present just to get numbers in.

To be honest that’s nothing new as

I’ve seen overly enthusiastic farmers at marts all my life getting bothered at the prospect of not getting what they want and then ‘blowing’ an extra €50 above and beyond.

The age profile of the sector is also a factor.

Some mangers were very candid when I put this point to them, telling me that a fear of contracting Covid 19 lurks in many men’s minds and is manifesting itself through their choice of not engaging in trade in any form for fear of contracting the virus.

On a positive note, April 2020 will have to go down as one of the driest on record and field grazing conditions are excellent.

For some, this has made the decision not to sell easier.

This is feeding through to the marts where the number of forward stores being presented up and down the country for sale appears to be considerably less than normal.

But there are many unanswered questions now about where the trade is at and what direction it will take.

Will those not currently selling or buying run out of time given we are now almost into May?

Will the Government announce a relaxation in the guidelines governing current mart practices?

And how much pressure would a serious break in the weather cause?

The economic consequences and social inconvenience of Covid 19 are one thing, but the medical reality of the virus was brought home to me at the weekend during a conversation I had with Michael Harty of Central Auctions in north Tipperary.

Around a month ago Michael thought he had a cold that he could not shake and then suddenly a week in the virus took over as all his strength “just disappeared”.

He was taken to hospital, diagnosed with the virus and put on oxygen.

Now in recovery, and back on his farm, Michael remains the positive individual he always has been and feels a the depth of gratitude to all those, especially the medical teams and his family, who have made it possible for him to once again gradually return to health and his normal life.

Buying:

Martin Hanlon from Bagenalstown looks over cattle at Leinster Marts in Carlow. The marts have had to scale back and reorganise to facilitate sales and adhere to Covid-19 restrictions.

The number of forward stores appearing for sale is considerably lower than normal