Operating from the Glens of Antrim, McCurdy Livestock Transport is one of Ireland’s most respected livestock transport companies. The family-run concern transports all types of cattle, including commercial, pedigree beef cattle and dairy cattle as well as pigs, sheep and goats throughout Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.
McCurdy Livestock Transport was founded in 1996 by Wilson McCurdy Jnr, who is assisted in the business by his wife Martine and nine staff, seven of which are full-time. Wilson has combined his knowledge of transport and farming to telling effect, with his company now recognised among Ireland’s leading livestock transportation services.
“My background is in transport, but I also do a bit of beef and sheep farming,” he explains.
“My father, Wilson Snr, who died in 2005, had run his own container transport business – Wilson McCurdy Haulage – since 1961, so I had grown up around trucks. The company is now run by my brothers Robert and Bill along with my mother Jean.
“I decided to set up my business specialising in livestock transport nearly 20 years and while the hours are long and the margins are tight, especially nowadays with the fuel costs being so high, I don’t have any regrets.”
McCurdy Livestock Transport has established itself as a leader in its field by providing a service that has no equal in terms of reliability, value-for-money and excellence. Wilson’s state-of-the-art fleet can deliver livestock from the pastures of Ireland to any location in Europe in no time at all.
The company’s day-to-day business sees it travel far and wide across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the UK and continental Europe. McCurdy Livestock Transport has delivered, exported and imported animals in Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Poland and Austria. Its vehicles are registered with these countries for import / export.
All animals are handled with due care and attention, with Wilson and his team always going to great lengths to ensure their journey is as stress free as possible. The company’s modern fleet of trailers are fitted with the latest technology, including lifting floors and temperature-controlled systems, while all animals have access to fresh water throughout the journey.
“Our trailers have automatic ventilation and automatic watering systems. They are cleaned thoroughly after every trip. Animal welfare is very important to us,” Wilson stresses.
McCurdy Livestock Transport is known throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe for delivering a very high standard of service time and again with trained and competent drivers, backed up by a modern fleet of vehicles. Wilson has seven trucks on the road, comprising Scania, Volvo and DAF, as well as 12 trailers consisting of four livestock trailers, four tippers and four chip-liners. He recently purchased a new Volvo truck from Dennison Commercials in Ballyclare, Co. Antrim and is about to take delivery of a brand new Scania from Road Trucks in Larne.
“When you’re dealing with livestock, you can’t afford to have any breakdowns,” he says.
“That is why we keep our fleet as fresh as possible. None of our trucks are older than four years. They are all covered by warranty, which is crucial for a business like ours where our trucks are overseas a lot of the time.”
Needless to say, the firm holds all the required licenses and certificates needed to operate a livestock transportation business. It also holds full livestock transportation insurance in the unlikely case of an accident taking place.
In addition to its international livestock transport service, McCurdy Livestock Transport can provide general goods transport through Ireland, the UK and across Europe. When transporting your goods, the company makes sure the items are carefully handled and arrive in perfect condition.
“Because there isn’t enough livestock to bring back from the UK or the continent, a lot of our backloads contain general goods such as cars, furniture and so on. We have a contract to bring potatoes back from Cambridge in England. Our trucks and trailers are always meticulous as its policy to clean them after every delivery.
“The livestock we bring back into Ireland is typically pedigree dairy and beef cattle. We bring back a lot of Holstein bulls and beef bulls from the UK. Going out would be store cattle, cull ewes – they’re quite plentiful in Antrim – and Friesian bull calves to Spain. But most of our work is conducted between Ireland and the UK.”
Closer to home, McCurdy Livestock Transport transports pigs and chickens to local slaughter plants. The company also has a contract with Yara Fertilizers in Belfast to distribute their produce all over Ireland.
Based in Broughshane outside Ballymena, McCurdy Livestock Transport also has a yard which is close to both the Port of Larne and Belfast International Airport. Thanks to the new road infrastructure in the Republic, Dublin Port and Rosslare Harbour – where their trucks board the ferry for Cherbourg in France – are both within easy reach.
Wilson and Martine McCurdy have three teenage children – Michael (17), Zoe (15) and Kyle (13). In conclusion the affable truck operator says: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Martine, who works in the office, and all my staff for their support over the years. They have played a big part in our growth and success.”
McCurdy Livestock Transport
229 Carnlough Road,
Broughshane,
Ballymena,
Co. Antrim
BT42 4KX
Telephone: +44 (0) 28 2568 4249
Mobile: +44(0) 77 1103 1032
Fax: +44(0) 28 2568 4599
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 4, September 2014
