The livestock mart has been synonymous with farming for many, many generations and not only is it a place to buy and sell animals, but it is the focal point of the farming community where farmers meet to discuss the trials and tribulations of the industry they are involved in.

Facilities at a mart have certainly improved down through the years and a more modern setting now greets the people who attend. It is now far more than just a place to trade animals, marts have become a hub for farmers to carry out a number of activities.

Take the Kilkenny Mart for example, eight years ago, a new mart was opened in Kilkenny city located at Cillin Hill. The Kilkenny Mart now owns and operates the Cillin Hill centre, which comprises of the mart auction centre, the Hub Event Centre, conference and meeting rooms, office and retail premises, property agency, restaurant and bar as well as free parking. It really has become a one-stop shop for the farming community.

The modern striking architectural building, contains a total of 13 office Units and eight retail units and is part of a wider complex which includes “The Hub” event centre, “Kilkenny Mart” and the business and retail park.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Lynch spoke to the Irish Tractor & Agri about the facilities and the hopes for the future.

The Kilkenny Mart has twice weekly auctions held on Mondays and Thursdays. Calves and sheep are bought and sold on Mondays, while Thursday is a day for general cattle, suckler and breeding heifers.

From January to May, Mondays are special dairy, while from July to October the same day is pedigree ram day and then through August to December weanling sales are held on aTuesday.

This makes for a very busy schedule and Michael revealed that it takes a good few employees to help run the sales smoothly.

“We would have in the region of 30 people here when the sales are on. We operate three rings and we would have farmers coming from between 12 to 15 counties that surround us. There is a capacity for 2000 cattle here. Our cattle sales would be between 900 and 1200 a week, while sheep sales are between 800 and 1000,” said Michael.

Michael revealed that in the eight years that they have been there, the facility has grown considerably.

The Hub is the ideal venue for exhibitions, conferences, comedy gigs, product launches, car/machinery shows, gala dinners, concerts and much more.
“We moved from the old mart which was running since 1956 to here in 2007. It is a huge premises that has been developed over the years. It is an agri-hub in that it is far more than just a mart.

“The IFA have an office here, there’s an accountants, insurance brokers, FBD have an office here, we stage concerts and other activities in the Hub event centre. This year alone, we have had the likes of illusionist Keith Barry here as well as international artist Don McClean. Every year, we put in an ice rink into the centre at Christmas, while there are other exhibits as well.

“There are two restaurants on-site as well as a bar. It really is a business park catering for the farming industry. There are retail shops here as well as a butcher.”

The Co-Op mart is owned by 3,000 shareholders all of who are farmers. These shareholders elect a board of directors which comprises of 19 people and Michael who has been working at the mart since 2005 believes that they are one of the most progressive marts in the country.

“We are not afraid to move with the times. Our aim for the immediate future is to increase throughput and one way we are looking at doing this is by increasing our technology and trying online buying. We know that time is of the essence for farmers and we are actively pursuing the prospect on online sales. It will take a bit of time to get it up and running, but it is something that we are serious about.”

Michael revealed that they are happy with the progress that they have made, but he added that they are not about to rest on their laurels.

“It has been a challenging role, but one that has been very interesting. We have made great progress in the last few years and we want to continue that. We’re a progressive mart that provides a good service and it is up to us to improve on that.

“We’re pretty well placed going forward. There is still plenty of work to be done and we are delighted with the feedback we have received and we are looking forward to the future.”

Kilkenny Co-Operative Livestock Market Ltd.,
Cillin Hill,
Dublin Road,
Kilkenny.

Tel: 056 7721407
Fax: 056 7721509

Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 4, April/May 2016

Cillin, Co-Operative, Kilkenny, Livestock, Market