Six marts are now identifying and selling weanlings as eligible for the Coop Italia trade. They are Carnaross, Granard, Carrigallen, Ballymahon, Milford and Donegal.

These marts are inviting suckler farmers to declare if their weanlings never ate GM feed or were given antibiotics.

The animals are then identified as such when they go into the sales ring. The six marts have already sold some 4,500 of these eligible weanlings.

Pat O’Rourke of Edell Point Server, which represents the Italian retailer here, said that other marts are likely to follow suit.

He will meet this week with Aurivo, which runs four marts, and then he hopes to meet with the Clare Marts Group, which has another four.

Mart staff are having to explain to some farmers what GM means

O’Rourke said that the early anecdotal feedback from these marts is that 90% of weanlings entered into sales are identified as eligible.

Quality ones are being targeted by Keenan Kepak Beef Club finishers and their agents, particularly bull weanlings.

But other farmer buyers are also responding well to the new information with some taking the view that an animal that has never received an antibiotic was healthy as a calf.

Live exporters are negotiating with Italian feedlots and expect to start buying in marts for this trade in the coming weeks, O’Rourke said.

Marts report that suckler farmers booking in weanlings are very clear on whether or not their animals got an antibiotic but are less clear about whether any feed they bought contained GM ingredients, he said.

“Mart staff are having to explain to some farmers what GM means and which feed mills are certified by Coop Italia.”

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