Take the stress out of transporting your pedigree livestock by contacting MD Workman Ltd. The welfare of your animals is the Monaghan based company’s number one priority when it comes to their international livestock transport service.
Transporting live animals requires special attention and MD Workman always live up to their promise to ensure that, during collection and transport, animals are handled carefully without causing them unnecessary distress.
Set up in 2003 by husband-and-wife duo Malcolm and Hilary Workman, they are a family run transport company specialising in livestock transport throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe.
With their fleet of three Volvo Globetrotters, complete with the company’s green and white livery, hey have been at the forefront of the humane transport of livestock and with their extensive experience as livestock hauliers you can rest assured of professional movement of your livestock.
They above all try to ensure that every customer they deal with is 100% satisfied and if there is any problem, large or small, they have always tried to resolve it to the best of their ability to the customer’s satisfaction.
Because offering the highest standard of service is at the core of MD Workman’s business, Hilary Workman explained.
“We offer an import and export service, specialising in pedigree stock,” she outlined to Irish Tractor & Agri magazine. “We spend a lot of time with our customers, planning and setting up jobs. It’s a specialised service we provide and we take our time at it, making sure everything is right. Because we value their custom, we will do whatever it takes to cater for their needs. Other hauliers don’t do that.
“We pride ourselves on our good service and reliability, that’s what separates us from our competitors. We’re fortunate in that we have a high number of loyal customers and a lot of business is repeat business and word of mouth referrals.”
MD Workman Ltd’s vehicles and trailers are specially designed to ensure that the animals are kept in peak condition. They boast fully approved vehicles and three professional, trained drivers and a personal service with each carriage individually organised.
To further demonstrate their commitment to providing a high quality service to their customers, all their vehicles are satellite-tracked for security and accurate timing while all their vehicles have transit insurance cover.
The same careful attention is given to all animals in their care whether travelling short or long distances.
“Transporting pedigree stock is completely different to transporting pigs. We are breeders of pedigree sheep, cattle and poultry ourselves, so we understand the business. Because the breeders invest a lot of time and money in their stock, there is extra responsibility on us to make sure their cattle or sheep get the best possible treatment.
“We bring in Limousine cattle from France to the UK and Ireland and the bulls carried can cost up to €30,000, so there is a lot of money at stake.
“As you could imagine, animal welfare is a huge issue with us. We follow all the guidelines and regulations in this regard. Our purpose-built Pezzaioli trailers have automatic ventilation and automatic watering systems. They are cleaned thoroughly after every trip. We go out of our way to ensure each journey is as stress-free as possible for our livestock.”
As an approved Long-Distance Livestock Transporter, MD Workman has an extensive list of requirements to meet as Hilary outlines: “Each journey has to be approved by the Department of Agriculture in the countries we are travelling in.
“Most loading has to be carried out under veterinary supervision. Having a GPS system on your trucks is another requirement for long-distance livestock transport. Under EU law, you have to be able to show rest stops and door openings. Our drivers also have to undergo livestock training.”
She continued: “What we’ve noticed in the last two years is that there is a large amount of movement of pedigree animals throughout Europe. People now sourcing pedigree animals from further afield and they are quite adventurous when looking to buy and sell their animals.
“The internet has opened up these markets but working across different borders is not without complications. It throws up a lot of challenges and cost is the biggest one.”
Not content to rest on their laurels, Hilary and Malcolm have plans to expand the business in the future. “We’re currently looking to recruit drivers,” she revealed. “We’re looking for skilled drivers who have experience in operating vehicles and trailers carrying a high value stock. We need reliable staff we can trust.”
If you would like further information about MD Workman Ltd’s services, feel free to contact Hilary at the numbers above.
M.D. Workman Ltd
Drumhirk House
Monaghan
Co. Monaghan
Phone: 00 353 47 81463
Mobile: 00 353 86 8211847
0044 77931 25453
E-mail: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 11, December 2015
