Support sought at Laois public meeting to help reopen Mountrath Mart

The Mountrath Mart Committee Co-op put the ball in the court of farmers and the local community at a public meeting organised to gauge opinion and gain support for plans to re-open as a going concern on a phased basis this year.

Hundreds packed into the Bloom HQ hall last Thursday night, February 1, for the meeting which heard from members of the Committee and allowed the public, mainly farmers, to have their say on what should happen.

Committee Chairperson Ken Holmes led the committee of 14 members in presenting the current situation and plans for the future as well as appealing to those present for support.

It was made clear from the outset that the meeting was called not just to consult on plans but to get support for farmers, local people and businesses to reopen the premises as a going concern but on a phased basis.

Mr Holmes said he could not give detailed financial figures on the cost of reopening because that information could only be given to an upcoming meeting of shareholders.

However, it was made clear to all gathered by Mr Holmes and Treasurer Ollie Byrne that significant funds were essential for both legal and practical reasons to reopen the mart.

It was explained that having considered all the options and the relatively small amount of funds available, the only way of opening was to do so on a phased basis starting in March this year with the sale of calves.

Apart from this being the only practical option, the committee explained that they had concluded that it would demonstrate the seriousness of the project to farmers and others needed to support further reopening.

The treasurer explained that while it was possible to start on day one with the sales of fully grown cattle, doing so would leave the Co-op exposed to external audit from statutory regulators which the committee has already been in consultation with.

Mr Holmes told the meeting that two key elements are being sought from farmers and others to allow the process of reopening to commence. He said fresh investment is needed which he said would be needed and the source of this would come, in the first instance, from the purchase of new shares in the Co-op.

It was explained that such shares do not appreciate in value but that the investment made would yield a return of having a mart in the Mountrath to serve local farmers rather than having to travel to Roscrea and Tullamore with cattle.

Another reason given by Committee member Matty Collier was to give a social outlet for Laois farmers to meet as had been the case in the past in Mountrath which is a market town going back centuries.

Apart from buying shares, Mr Holmes said support was needed to run and open the mart. He said the committee had already recruited a manager and auctioneer who would work voluntarily for a year. He said other companies have also offered their services required for the ancillary needs of operation.

He said all the committee members are working for free and have already put in a huge amount of work on the the project. He said help has also been offered to carry out repairs to the mart which needs repairs due to some vandalism and lack of upkeep since it closed in 2019.

The appeal made by Mr Holmes to the meeting was simple. “The future is in your hands,” he said. MORE BELOW PICTURE

Committee members at the meeting.

There were varying responses from the floor of the sports hall in Bloom HQ in reaction to the proposals from the Co-op committee to reopen the Mountrath Mart.

Some speakers in attendance, gave their full backing to phased reopening while others felt that more ambition must be shown and that full operations must commence on day one if reopening is to be a success.

However, there were also voices of caution in the hall with various people calling for more transparency on finances and also questioning the viability of reopening at all given the challenges faced by marts around the country.

There were also some questions about why the mart had closed so suddenly in the first instance, as posed by Tom Cushen.

Committee member now and in 2019 Willie Clegg explained that it was not viable to continue at the time due to €1,500 losses a week. He said to keep going would have left big debts. He said closing ensured that the premises was retained by the Co-op to allow a reopening. Mattie Collier also explained that insurance premiums a the time were of the order of €90,000 annually.

Harry Marsden said he was in full support of the committee and offered any help he could give with the reopening.

Paddy Buggy was also present. He urged the committee to think outside the box and come up with alternative services at the mart to attract people and revenue.

Declan Hanrahan, IFA national livestock Chair, also backed the plans and said the IFA would give whatever support it could give. While he a co-op is well positioned to realise the aim and the absence of debt is an advantage, he cautioned that marts have been in difficulties. He said however that the marts still set the price of cattle and the buyers would return to Mountrath if the mart could attract stock for sale in sufficient numbers and of high quality.

Some speakers urged a more ambitious approach than proposed. Brendan Phelan was among the most forceful of these. He urged the committee to plan for a full reopening from the first day of trading rather than beginning with calves. He called on the committee to use the land surrounding the mart as security in getting bank finance to reopen fully.

John Seale favoured a similar approach. He felt the committee would just get “one shot” at making the mart viable. He said a lot of money would be required to put on a calf sale with little return.

Sloan Cooper agreed saying a calf sale would not bring in significant revenue.

John Fitzpatrick was concerned about the viability of reopening at all given that the mart was losing €1,500 when it did close. He the core business of livestock sales must be viable but cattle numbers in marts are falling everywhere.

Ger Whelan was among some speakers to seek more transparency on the finance needed. He and others believed people must know what is needed before they invest.

National and local politicans made pledges to the Co-op committee that they would do whatever they could to support the proposals but advised them that some avenues to get State finance already proved fruitless.

Minister Seán Fleming, Charlie Flanagan and Brian Stanley were present along with independent Senator Victor Boyhan.
Laois councillors, James Kelly, John King, Conor Bergin and Ollie Clooney also attended.

Minister Fleming said the reopening of the mart was an issue for farmers, Mountrath and all of Laois because it was achieved. The Fianna Fáil TD believed success could be achieved in the same way as work was done to open Mountrath Community School after Ballyfin College closed.

Politicians at the meeting.

Dep Flanagan, Fine Gael, said that he had secured a written commitment from Enterprise Ireland to carry out a feasibility study which when complete could be used to make the case for more support from local and national agencies.

Dep Stanley proposed that a delegation travel to Dublin to meet officials from the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to make the case for supports. The Sinn Féin TD said this should be done when the business plan is in place.

All three TDs said they had unsuccessfully approached Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Heather Humphreys for financial support to help with reopening.

Senator Boyhan, who said his roots are in Aghaboe, recalled his family buying cattle in the mart. He gave is full support and committed to buying shares.

The county councillors said they have and will continue to work with the committee to pave the way for the mart to reopen.
Mountrath-based Cllr Kelly recalled the benefits of the mart to the town when it was operational. He said he is working at present on a plan to have part of the mart lands rezoned so that businesses could set up on the 30-acre site. He said the Bloom HQ building shows that when communities work together big results can be achieved.

Cllr Bergin, Fine Gael, said the first support a council could give was a rates waiver. He felt more support could also be obtained through rural regeneration support.

Cllr King, also Fine Gael, believes the mart represents an opportunity to keep life in towns and tackle rural isolation.

Cllr Ollie Clooney said the mart pan has his 100% backing.

The Mountrath Mart Committee is: Ken Holmes, Chair, Paul Gilligan, Secretary, Ollie Byrne, Treasurer, Tony Campion, Wille Clegg, Matty Collier, Ger Cuddy, John Dolan, Denis Feighery, Ger Finlay, Ollie Fogarty, Ken Graham, Gerard, McBrien, Michael Scully. Darragh Walsh, ICOS, is advising the committee.