Galway Races blamed for dip in cattle trade

The Galway Races have often been blamed for punters ‘losing their shirts’ but they have also been held accountable for a dip in the local cattle trade.

It is reckoned that there are so many farmers who take their only week’s holiday in the year during the races that marts suffer as a result.

There are suggestions that the store cattle trade has slipped slightly as farmers swap the sales ring for the parade ring at Ballybrit.

Gerry Finnerty, the manger of Gort Mart, said that they closed for the week as there was no point in having the facility open. Gort Mart reopened on Tuesday for sales but Mr. Finnerty said that there would be no point in being open on Race Week.

“We just close for the week; it is as simple as that. There is a lot of traffic on the roads at this time of year so there is no point in adding to it.

“It would be simply not safe for farmers or buyers travelling to marts at this time of year and particularly with the Races going on”, Cllr. Gerry Finnerty added.

At Mountbellew Mart there was a smaller number of sheep on offer compared to the previous week. This has possibly something to do with the Galway Races.

There was an easier trade for factory and butcher lambs. However, on the plus side there was a strong demand for store lambs, stag ewes and breeding ewes.

Meanwhile, Agri Aware, the independent Irish agri-food educational body took to the West on Sunday to engage visitors to the Galway Races on the importance of the Irish agri-food industry via a well-stocked mobile farm.

Visitors to the Galway Races were offered a unique opportunity to learn about farming and food production in Ireland through an interactive educational experience with Agri Aware’s mobile farm.

Those who attended the mobile farm also had the opportunity to learn about the important role of farmers in delivering a secure supply of quality, safe and traceable food at an affordable price for the consumer.

Agri Aware engaged people of all ages at the races, in the importance of knowing where their food comes from and also in learning about how this food is produced under the highest standards, while also caring for the environment, biodiversity and waterways.