The Mayo Mule and Greyface Group is putting the final preparations in place for its sale of 800 hoggets which takes place on Friday 21 August and their sale of 2,000 ewe lambs taking place on Saturday 22 August.

There has been a lot of talk this week concerning mart sales and coronavirus restrictions and the group reports that it is fully prepared to work closely with Aurivo Mart Ballinrobe and adhere to all such regulations.

Those attending the mart will be expected to wear masks, remain in their allotted position at the ringside and follow guidelines surrounding the viewing of sheep in the lairage area.

50 buyers ringside

The mart ring has been measured and marked out to accommodate a maximum of 50 buyers ringside.

The mart will also be streaming the sale live in its cattle ring and this will provide overflow capacity for buyers and sellers to view the sale on the mart premises via the MartBids platform and partake in online bidding if they wish to do so.

An extensive catalogue of photos and videos has been captured of the sheep that will be on offer

The group says it has also been working hard to make it easier for prospective buyers who are not comfortable in attending on the day.

An extensive catalogue of photos and videos has been captured of the sheep that will be on offer and these can be viewed at www.mayomuleandgreyface.com and on the group’s Facebook page.

Producers also offered buyers the chance to view sheep in advance of the sale and it is expected that this will stimulate active bidding online.

The group also advises anyone who is not attending the sale but who wishes to purchase sheep to make contact regarding the potential of transport arrangements.

MartBids registration

To carry out bidding online, simply download the MartBids app for free on the App Store or Google Play or go to www.martbids.ie.

Launch the app and click on the settings tab on the top right-hand corner of the screen. You will need your e-mail address to register your details and create a MartBids account.

Once this has been created, click on the marts drop-down on the top left corner of the screen and choose the mart you want to view.

If you want to bid on animals you will need to secure permission from the mart.

This is done by simply entering your herd number at the bottom of the screen and the request will automatically be sent to the mart, which will then approve you for bidding.