Livestock marts start up again ‘in a safe manner’
Livestock marts will be able to recommence sales of some classes of breeding stock – including dairy animals, breeding cattle, cows with calf at foot, breeding sheep and ewes with lambs at foot.
However larger events such as bull sales which would require sellers to be in attendance or which would attract the sort of crowds which would make social distancing impossible remain banned along with any show sales.
Revealing changes which were negotiated after discussions with the Scottish Government, the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) also updated its advice to auction marts in an effort to allow them to continue trading responsibly throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We have been working closely with the Scottish Government to find a workable solution to limit exposure to Covid-19 through marts whilst ensuring the livestock trade continues in a measurable and safe manner,” said IAAS executive director Neil Wilson.
“Marts form a vital link in the wider food chain ensuring livestock from around the country can be fairly and transparently traded between farmers as well as onward to abattoirs enabling a consistent supply of high-quality primary products into the food chain.”
He said that although Covid was a human health and not an animal health issue, IAAS members could draw on experience from the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 and the scare in 2007 to help address many of the potential issues.
Wilson said that while the new guidance was available on the organisation’s website, people should still check specific access and sale arrangements direct with individual auction companies.
However he said that vulnerable people should not attend sales – including:
■ Anyone who had been in contact with a Covid-19 case or had been in a highrisk area;
■ Anyone over the age of 70;
■ Anyone displaying any illness or symptoms of any illness or has any underlying health problem;
■ Pregnant ladies and children;
■ General public, trade and others not directly involved in sales.
Wilson also stressed that vendors must not take paperwork to mart offices or enter the mart at any time or for any reason – and at the conclusion of the sale buyers had to be asked to enter the sales office in a way that maintained social distancing and ensured the 2m rule was observed.
● Meanwhile the cold war in the beef sector continued to rumble – with NFU Scotland saying that considerable behind the scenes work was going on to help address the carcase balance issues caused by the overnight loss of food service and catering outlets.
However union president, Andrew Mccornick said that producers suffering from poor farmgate prices had shown “unbelievable anger” at the amount of imported beef which had been appearing on supermarket shelves.