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Capacity changes to the rules on transporting calves could restrict the number of calves on lorries destined for overseas next spring.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that lorry capacity could be cut by 10%.
This means that instead of 315 calves per lorry going to Holland, there would be approximately 285 calves on the lorry.
The new restrictions impact on the nose of the lorry, which at the moment can carry smaller calves, but new height restrictions mean this space on the lorry may no longer be available for calves.
Ferry bonus
On the upside, ongoing talks between one calf exporter, the Department of Agriculture and other stakeholders about increasing the lairage space at Cherbourg are continuing with the exporter very keen to increase capacity.
This would potentially increase available lairage space by 50%. If all other issues were equal this would help calf export capacity at peak times in late February and early March.
ICOS’s Ray Doyle said relying on live exports is questionable. He suggested within the next five years, the dynamics will have shifted away from exports.
“There is a suggestion to move the rules around transporting of unweaned animals from 19 down to 12 hours. If it moves to 12 hours then our roll-on, roll-off model is broken, and we would have to look at modifying boats to haul calves, etc.”
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