The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Iveragh Mart’s journey from speculation to realisation...
BACK in 1988 when 400 farmers from Iveragh raised over £50,000 towards the construction of a mart, the scene was set for a fantastic story.
But the story of agriculture on the Iveragh Peninsula is not short on substance. The early origins of a mart extend back to Horace Plunkett who first founded the co-op movement in the 1900s. The co-ops were set up to allow farmers pool their resources and products in order to market them in a more organised fashion. To the present day, this has continued to leave its mark and nowhere more so than Iveragh Mart.
The first seeds of the modern mart were sown in 1983 when farmers in south Kerry got together with a view to setting up a mart in Cahersiveen. A 12-acre site was purchased in 1985 in Reenrusheen, just on the outskirts of the town, for a sum of £28,000. An initial share drive took place among the farming and local community in 1985 to raise capital to fund the purchase price and one-hundred £1 shares were offered to anyone who wished to become a shareholder in the coop. As with all change however, the community was divided at first between those who felt it was a good idea, and those who felt it would diminish the traditional Fair Day and the accompanying business it created.
An application was made to Kerry County Council for planning in 1986 and approval followed. A grant application for funding was made to the Department of Agriculture and it was agreed to fund the Mart to the tune of 50% of the overall cost in conjunction with the EU Agricultural Funds. The construction began in 1987 and was complete by July 1988.
This is when Iveragh Mart as we know it today began in earnest and a second share drive in 1988 gave another opportunity for people to become shareholders in the mart. By mid-summer in 1988 €107,000 was raised. The Mart was built at a cost of approx. £250,000, including the site purchase. The money raised in the share drive together with the grant aid covered 80% of the building and site costs.
An all-important committee was formed to oversee the construction of the mart and its funding. The co-operative, which had been registered with the Friendly Societies in February 1985, was affiliated to the co-operative umbrella body ‘Irish Co-operative Organisation Society’ (ICOS) in 1988. A Manager was then hired in July 1988 and the first sale of livestock took place on August 9, 1988. A fulltime office assistant was hired and approximately 10 temporary staff to assist on sale days were also added.
In 2001 four industrial units were constructed in which the NCT Centre has been an anchor tenant. Grant aid of 45% funding was received for the construction of the units from Kerry County Enterprise Board and IDA combined. In 2009 a further five industrial units, with BC Shellfish (Oyster Farm in Ballycarbery) as an anchor tenant, were added. Currently there is 100% occupancy in the units which are paying rent and helping to pay overheads. Grant aid to the tune of 30% came from Enterprise Ireland for this project and the units are designed to give startup industries an incubation unit at minimum rent.
“The core business remains farming and the primary aim is to achieve the best possible price for livestock with guaranteed payment to the farmer within 14 days. Our record over the past 30-years stands for itself,” said Mart Manager, Mike Kissane.
“We hope to provide this service to the farming community of Iveragh for many years to come. The community and those within it who help keep the mart afloat are immensely proud of our journey. While we’re celebrating 30-years of Iveragh Mart this year, we must not forget the great strides the vision and foresight made by so many people before 1988,” Mike added.