Laois mart owners give leasing green light that could pave way for reopening
The Laois owners of Mountrath mart which closed due to crippling costs have taken a decisision which moves the process of reopening forward but an agreement to seal the deal is not yet in place.
The Chairman of Mountrath Livestock Co-op Mart Committee Ger Brickley confirmed that members have given the green light to lease the mart in the town which has been closed since 2019.
Mr Brickley said talks are also at "an advanced" stage with a third party who would take over the running of the mart if talks reach an agreement. Because of this members were not asked to approve a deal with a named party at the meeting.
However, the Chairman cautioned that it remains too early to say that the mart, which shut in 2019, would definitely open. He also said a statement by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett was 'premature'.
She said that it would reopen in the coming months with two livestock sales a week, with a longer-term plan to have machinery sales.
Mr Brickley agreed that if a deal is reached, the reopening would be good news for Mountrath and farmers. He said Mountrath Livestock Co-op Mart Committee is owned locally. He added that the company while not operating is solvent.
The Mart closed due to rising costs, particularly insurance costs which were cited as being "crippling". It had been operating continuously for 51 years.
Mountrath Livestock Co-op Mart Sales Ltd last filed an annual return and accounts with the Company Registration Office at the end of 2021.
The latest development coincides with an upturn in mart prices for cattle. The farming press has reported that mart prices were outperforming the price being paid available at meat factories.