Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has confirmed that the Pignet lairage in France will reopen to Irish calves on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Minister told the Irish Farmers Journal: “Today [Monday] at lunch time, French officials from the Prefecture de la Manche administration notified the Department of Agriculture [DAFM] that the Pignet Control Post has been granted permission to reopen.
“This reopening will be effective from tomorrow, April 4th. DAFM officials have notified stakeholders in industry of this development.”
The lairage had been closed for over a week due to a French investigation into animal welfare.
Pignet lairage
The facility at Pignet is one of two lairage facilities that Irish calves are sent to on arrival off the boat in France.
They are fed in these facilities and take their mandatory rest periods before moving on to their final destination on farms.
The majority of Irish calves move through the Pignet lairage facility, with thousands of Irish calves moving through it on a weekly basis over the peak spring export period.
