Clare Marts has said that it is investigating all of the circumstances surrounding an incident involving a weanling.
The incident, which took place during a sale at Ennis Mart yesterday (Tuesday, June 4), involved the weanling entering the rostrum area and then jumping into the sales ring.
The mart confirmed that nobody was injured during the brief occurrence, however there was some minor damage to a laptop that had been sitting on the rostrum table.
Clare Marts
Commenting on behalf of the Clare Marts, Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) director of livestock and environmental services, Ray Doyle said:
“The mart is examining the matter which demonstrates the unpredictability of animals during handling even in the best managed circumstances.
“We’re thankful that nobody was injured and mart business resumed immediately thereafter. The weanling was also safe and well afterwards.
“A review will be undertaken to identify how any such occurrence can be avoided in the future, where health and safety for all and animal welfare are our top priority,” he added.
Safety
Last year, Clones Mart in Co. Monaghan improved its safety measures around its sales ring following an incident in June, when a heifer jumped into the rostrum there.
A video circulated widely around social media at the time showed a heifer jumping from the sales ring into the rostrum, where three people were standing, including mart staff.
The video showed one of the men acting quickly to open a door at the back of the rostrum to allow the animal to make its way safely out.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the mart said: “After our animal episode a few weeks back and while it was the first time in 50 plus years for something like this to happen, we wanted to make sure it never happened again.
“So, for the safety of our staff and customers, we raised the rostrum by 12 inches, protected it with a high bar and put a higher bar right around the ring.”