Officials from the Department of Agriculture were preparing on Wednesday to inspect a ferry boat to see if it could carry livestock trucks between Ireland and France.

The Department is cooperating with the main ferry companies to find a boat to replace the Stena Horizon while that boat is off service from mid-February for refurbishment.

The issue is causing mounting concern among farmers, marts and exporters, with a tsunami of dairy-bred bulls expected to the hit the ground in the coming weeks.

In 2017, more than 300,000 dairy-bred bulls were born on farms, with many of those exported. Exports to the Netherlands traditionally take off in the second or third week of February and run at a peak over the following five weeks.

Export of young calves operates under tight controls covering stocking density, maximum transport time, rest periods and use of approved trucks and boats.

This week, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said he was aware that time was running out and that his department was liaising with ferry companies to try to find a solution.

“But we cannot be seen, in the context of the broader issue of all live exports or calf exports, to drop our standards to the long-term detriment of the sector.”

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