Beware of farm deals for sale of weanlings

Farmers have been advised to ‘play it safe’ when it comes to the selling of weanlings directly from their yards to private operators.

According to Co. Galway IFA Chairman, Pat Murphy, a number of agents, jobbers and shippers are trying to deal directly with farmers and buy livestock off the farm.

He said that while most of those operators could be very ‘genuine’, farmers who sold livestock privately were leaving themselves at the mercy of a piece of paper [cheque].

The IFA Chairman said that it had also come to their attention that some of those buyers were now also looking for up to a month’s credit from the farmers warning that this was very dodgy territory for sellers.

“In the IFA, we would advise farmers that they are better served in their sales by selling at the marts. When they sell at the marts, it is the marts that take the risk with the payments, with the farmer ‘guaranteed’ his money.

“The way, I would look at it, there would be nothing worse than rearing a weanling for nine months and then selling him off for a cheque that could prove to be worthless,” said Pat Murphy.

He also said that there was a market out there for private sales with farmers often tempted by prices that seemed to be higher than what they would get at the marts.

“A higher price might seem tempting, but there is no way that the farmer should release his stock until he has cleared the cheque or lodged the bank draft into his account.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.