We all like our comfort when we travel from one destination to another whether it be by car, bus, plane, boat or train and we are not too shy to speak up if the conditions are not what we desire.

Animals and livestock in particular don’t have that facility to tell us if they are uncomfortable, too warm or thirsty, so that is why there are stringent regulations in place from the Department of Agriculture and the Health & Safety authority to look after the welfare of livestock.

The transportation of sheep and cattle has changed considerably over the years with livestock hauliers having to adhere to a number of rules and regulations in order to ensure the safety of their cargo.

There are livestock hauliers out there who have been involved in this line of work for generations now and for this month’s edition, we profile one such business.

Michael O’Riordan Livestock Transport is based in Watergrasshill, Co Cork and Michael himself speaks to us about the services that he provides a large customer base that includes the Department of Agriculture.

The date February 29th, 1948 has a big significance for the O’Riordan family as Michael explained to us.

“That was the day I was born and on the same day, my father went out and bought a brand new lorry for £420 to haul livestock and we have been doing it ever since,” said Michael.

“I have seen many changes in this industry over the years and even though there is a massive amount of paperwork involved these days, the industry is being run a lot tighter and more efficient.

“There is traceability on every animal you carry right from its loaded until we deliver to wherever it may by going. There are more course to make hauliers aware of what needs to be done and this is all for the welfare of the animals which I agree with.”

Michael revealed that apart from working for local farmers and at marts, they also do work for the Department of Agriculture.

“We have a department number which is needed to do the sort of work we have to do for them, and this is mainly moving TB reactors from farmyards, while in the early 2000s, we moved a lot of cattle during the BSE crisis.

“The lorries have to be kept spotless and they are cleaned down after every run that we do. We would also do runs to all the major meat factories around the country including Ashbourne Meats in Roscrea and Moyvalley Meats, as well as Larry Goodman’s ABP in Clare and Rathkeale, Kepak, Dawn Meats and Kildare Chilling.

“Generally our customer base would be in Cork, Kerry and parts of Waterford and Clare. With the road network that is in place today, travelling times have been reduced a lot and this means we can cover a bigger radius in less time.”

Michael operates a fleet of four trucks, two Volvos and two Ivecos with his son Shane who is involved in the day to day running of the business.

“We would upgrade the trucks as regularly as possible. It is important to keep the fleet fresh, especially in our line of work as we haul cattle, sheep and pigs on a daily basis.”

Michael admits that they are busy all the time, such is the customer base that they have built up over the years.

“We are always busy, which is a good thing. We do some work for Murphy Hunter International as well, so we have a fairly extensive customer base at this stage.

“The trailers we have include a double decker for an artic and this allows us transport bigger loads, especially on longer runs.”

Despite having passed the retirement mark, Michael shows no signs of slowing down and is at his happiest when he’s behind the wheel of one of the trucks, while he has had many scraps down through the years.

“I had my two hips done a few years back and I’m raring to go since, although I was attacked by a bull last October in Kepak. The bull charged at me and summersaulted me up on to its back where I was for about a minute. I was a bit sore after that one,” he joked.

“I still love driving and as long as I do, I’ll keep at it. What’s the point in retiring now?”

So which livestock does Michael find the hardest to deal with when working? “Calves, without question, they are the toughest to deal with, it is very hard to manage them. Many people might think sheep, but once they start moving, they all go, the same cannot be said about calves.”

Michael has picked up many years’ experience in the industry, which he has passed down to his son Shane who is bringing the business into the next generation.

Four people are employed by Michael and Shane with the elder O’Riordan stating that some of who have been with them many years.

“Farmers like familiarity especially when moving livestock who many treat like family. So our drivers are well known to our customers and some of them have been with us many years and are very experienced at what they do.”

Michael O’Riordan Livestock Transport
Skehanagh
Watergrasshill
Co. Cork
Phone: (021)4889116

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 8, September 2015

Livestock, O’Riordan, Transport