Government intervention is being sought by the Irish Co-Operative Society (ICOS) to control spiralling mart insurance costs.
In some cases, mart insurance premiums have almost doubled and for larger marts can cost well beyond €50,000 a year, but increasing costs are having a significant effect on smaller, local marts as well.
An ICOS delegation has met Minister Michael D’Arcy who has responsibility for public expenditure and reform.
“This is now having a specifically damaging effect on smaller marts who simply cannot afford any increase in operating costs to the extent that is being levied,” the chair of the ICOS national marts committee Martin Spellman said.
“We need the Government to protect the marts sector and SMEs in general from the unsustainable costs that are being demanded.”
The delegation received assurances from the minister that over 30 recommendations published in an insurance working group report on employment liability practices would be enacted.
Some marts are in the process of carrying out a voluntary eight-point plan introduced by FBD to help costs, which would include:
Loading and unloading of animals is to be carried out or supervised by mart staff.Movement of stock within the mart would be carried out only by trained mart staff who would also be readily visible by wearing mart identification jackets.Catwalks or designated livestock viewing areas would replace the current system where farmers can walk through lairage areas. Read more
Mart ‘no-go areas’ as insurance costs spiral
Ban on sticks and trading of young calves
Government intervention is being sought by the Irish Co-Operative Society (ICOS) to control spiralling mart insurance costs.
In some cases, mart insurance premiums have almost doubled and for larger marts can cost well beyond €50,000 a year, but increasing costs are having a significant effect on smaller, local marts as well.
An ICOS delegation has met Minister Michael D’Arcy who has responsibility for public expenditure and reform.
“This is now having a specifically damaging effect on smaller marts who simply cannot afford any increase in operating costs to the extent that is being levied,” the chair of the ICOS national marts committee Martin Spellman said.
“We need the Government to protect the marts sector and SMEs in general from the unsustainable costs that are being demanded.”
The delegation received assurances from the minister that over 30 recommendations published in an insurance working group report on employment liability practices would be enacted.
Some marts are in the process of carrying out a voluntary eight-point plan introduced by FBD to help costs, which would include:
Loading and unloading of animals is to be carried out or supervised by mart staff.Movement of stock within the mart would be carried out only by trained mart staff who would also be readily visible by wearing mart identification jackets.Catwalks or designated livestock viewing areas would replace the current system where farmers can walk through lairage areas. Read more
Mart ‘no-go areas’ as insurance costs spiral
Ban on sticks and trading of young calves
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