From 1 January, farmers not present for the sale of animals at Roscrea, Nenagh and Birr marts will have to ring the office within 30 minutes of stock going through the ring to say whether they are selling or not.

If a phone call is not made by the farmer within this time frame, the animals will be deemed sold.

Up until now, and as a result of COVID-19, if the seller was not present at the mart and was watching online, they would be called after the sale to confirm if the sale was agreed.

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However, this has placed an extra burden on office staff which was not there prior to the pandemic.

"We are just trying to streamline things. The main girl in our office was spending 90% of her day on the phone and a lot of the time farmers would have to be rung three or four times before they'd answer," Michael Harty, CEO of Central Auctions said.

Harty, who manages the running of Nenagh, Roscrea and Birr marts, said that as of January 2023, this new rule will be in place for all subject sales.

Having to ring each seller was upsetting the flow of things, he said.

It was also having a negative impact on the buyer, who didn't know where they stood in relation to subject sales, he argued.

"Buyers would think they'd have a lorry load of bullocks bought, but four of them could be subject and he could end up going home with less than he planned," Harty said.

Advantage

Online selling, Harty said, has been a huge advantage to farmers, allowing them to go to work or be at home on the farm and still sell cattle.

"It's a wonderful facility and it should be respected. I don't think it's too much to ask of farmers that when their catlle are gone through the ring, to ring the mart and say that those cattle are sold," he said.

Madness

Some sellers who are actually present in the ring on the day still let their cattle go subject, Harty said.

"It's pure madness. The best place to be if your cattle are being sold is in the box beside the auctioneer. That's where you will get the best price," he said.

As of this week, Central Auctions is closed for Christmas and the first sale back will take place on Wednesday 4 January in Roscrea.