I was getting up last Monday morning and I feasted my eyes on the beautiful autumn colours. The Boston ivy is turning, and leaves are tumbling down. The wood near the yard is a mixture of brown, crimson, yellow and orange. The sun was sparkling through the trees. I can see the yard from my room. I could make out the top of the Twomey Livestock truck as it backed into the yard and Tim talking to someone. It could have been Dermot, MJ or one of the younger lads. I later found out it was Diarmuid.
Twomey’s have been collecting our animals for over 20 years and have given us excellent and loyal service. If they say the truck will be on at 8am, then it will most definitely pull into the yard at 7.45am. They are tremendous timekeepers.
The cull cows were going to Bandon Mart. It’s a tough day parting with animals that have been reared on the farm and have spent their lives having calves and being milked. Each has its own personality.
Follow the leader
There are leader cows that always come into the milking parlour first. There’s the unassuming cow that always delivers the goods and doesn’t stand out at all except on paper records. Among the herd is the odd bully.
The farmer gets to know them all and there’s a real connection between the cows and the farmer. I could imagine them going into the truck. It’s a rotten feeling watching them. We’ve good loading facilities where the cows are almost on the level walking into the trailer.
The truck pulled out of the yard and up the hill, passing Colm and Elaine’s house and then ours. A few minutes later, I was in the kitchen and Tim came in to have a quick cup of tea before following the cows to Bandon. He wanted to see them sold.
“I hate this day,” he said. I understood his sentiment well. He was describing the different cows that were going and especially the ones he liked. They were leaving the herd because they were not in-calf. The new heifers will calve down in the spring to replace them and on the cycle goes.
While Tim was on his way to Bandon, he got a call from Colm. Diarmuid Twomey, who was driving the truck, had contacted him. Alas, something had happened on the way to the mart and one of the cows had broken a back leg. They had plenty of room in the truck. Diarmuid was upset that the cow had broken her leg. She was not distressed but other plans had to be made.
Tim contacted Con Duggan of Goggins Hill Knackery, another company that has given us valuable service over many years. Con arranged to meet Diarmuid and the cow’s fate was sealed in the most humane way. Animal welfare is a key priority for all three parties involved. It is really important for farmers to have good and reliable people in place to work with. Last Monday morning was a typical example of that.
Unfortunate accident
Accidents will happen with the best will in the world and in these circumstances the right steps had to be taken quickly and professionally, so that animals do not suffer.
It is not something that happens often. I’ve been in Woodside for 44 years and never remember a cow breaking a leg during transport. Tim remembers a cow going down in a truck when Diarmuid’s father was driving. That must be over 20 years ago.
That is some track record for Twomey’s Transport. The business relationship is on a sound footing between haulier, knackery and farmers and that’s the way it should be.
