Exporting cattle to Northern Ireland accounts for 60% of Ciarán Burke's business, moving roughly 5,500 head of cattle across the border to return customers every year.
This element of Burke's business is now at a complete standstill due to cross-border movement restrictions, which are in place since the first case of bluetongue virus was detected on a farm in Co Wexford on 22 January.
Infection has since been detected in five cattle herds in Co Wexford, with a sixth case in a location which has yet to be confirmed by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon.
Frustration
It's the lack of communication between authorities in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) about lifting movement restrictions that is at the centre of Sligo-based exporter Ciarán Burke's frustrations.
"We have cattle that were bought in January that haven't been exported and they're in the yard - they're essentially locked up.
"At the minute, I can't make any headway with anyone in either the north or the south. It's having a huge impact on my business. I would have done close to 5,500 cattle to Northern Ireland last year on my own and the year before maybe 4,500.
"I have two men working for me and three lorries on the road. We'd have been clearing cattle twice a week - we clear them on a Tuesday in Stranorlar Mart and every Friday in Manorhamilton Mart, 52 weeks of the year," he said.
Burke's business is mainly breeding heifers, in-calf heifers and store cattle into NI.
"The restrictions in place are having a huge impact on marts along the border where farmers would come down from NI to buy cattle and we'd collect them and test them and deliver or else they'd ring us to buy them," Burke said.
Movement ban
Burke hasn't exported cattle since 14 January and has cattle which were bought for farmers in NI prior to the movement ban still in his yard.
The only route into NI currently for these animals is if they go for direct slaughter.
"There was 35 cattle that farmers had bought and I had bought some of them for them and they have not left my premises, they can't go.
"We buy to order, we're still buying for farmers in the south, but it'd be different cattle.
"We'd sell a lot of breeding cattle to the North and I've a lot of people ringing me, particularly dairy men at the minute, looking for Angus bulls or the likes. A lot of the farmers aren't aware of the restrictions," Burke said.
The Sligo farmer exports in the region of three or four loads of cattle to Scotland every year, this he said, is also completely curtailed also.
Burke said he was open to testing and vaccinating cattle for bluetongue, in order to resume cross-border trade.
"There's a company in Elphin who will do the blood testing. It's a two-day turn-around at an expensive €20/head to blood them. The vet then could be another €10/head to do the PCR test," he said.
Read more
Bluetongue’s impact on live exports could soften this summer
Two new bluetongue cases confirmed on Irish farms
Ban on cross-border livestock trade to stay
Exporting cattle to Northern Ireland accounts for 60% of Ciarán Burke's business, moving roughly 5,500 head of cattle across the border to return customers every year.
This element of Burke's business is now at a complete standstill due to cross-border movement restrictions, which are in place since the first case of bluetongue virus was detected on a farm in Co Wexford on 22 January.
Infection has since been detected in five cattle herds in Co Wexford, with a sixth case in a location which has yet to be confirmed by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon.
Frustration
It's the lack of communication between authorities in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) about lifting movement restrictions that is at the centre of Sligo-based exporter Ciarán Burke's frustrations.
"We have cattle that were bought in January that haven't been exported and they're in the yard - they're essentially locked up.
"At the minute, I can't make any headway with anyone in either the north or the south. It's having a huge impact on my business. I would have done close to 5,500 cattle to Northern Ireland last year on my own and the year before maybe 4,500.
"I have two men working for me and three lorries on the road. We'd have been clearing cattle twice a week - we clear them on a Tuesday in Stranorlar Mart and every Friday in Manorhamilton Mart, 52 weeks of the year," he said.
Burke's business is mainly breeding heifers, in-calf heifers and store cattle into NI.
"The restrictions in place are having a huge impact on marts along the border where farmers would come down from NI to buy cattle and we'd collect them and test them and deliver or else they'd ring us to buy them," Burke said.
Movement ban
Burke hasn't exported cattle since 14 January and has cattle which were bought for farmers in NI prior to the movement ban still in his yard.
The only route into NI currently for these animals is if they go for direct slaughter.
"There was 35 cattle that farmers had bought and I had bought some of them for them and they have not left my premises, they can't go.
"We buy to order, we're still buying for farmers in the south, but it'd be different cattle.
"We'd sell a lot of breeding cattle to the North and I've a lot of people ringing me, particularly dairy men at the minute, looking for Angus bulls or the likes. A lot of the farmers aren't aware of the restrictions," Burke said.
The Sligo farmer exports in the region of three or four loads of cattle to Scotland every year, this he said, is also completely curtailed also.
Burke said he was open to testing and vaccinating cattle for bluetongue, in order to resume cross-border trade.
"There's a company in Elphin who will do the blood testing. It's a two-day turn-around at an expensive €20/head to blood them. The vet then could be another €10/head to do the PCR test," he said.
Read more
Bluetongue’s impact on live exports could soften this summer
Two new bluetongue cases confirmed on Irish farms
Ban on cross-border livestock trade to stay
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