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The chairman of Cheshire NFU says many farmers in the county are owed money and will be hit hard by the closure of Beeston Castle auction mart near Nantwich.
The auction mart was closed after operators Wright Marshall went into administration this week, with the loss of 37 jobs at the site.
But Richard Blackburn (pictured), chair of Cheshire NFU and a dairy farmer at Baddiley in Nantwich, fears there will be a wider impact on the county’s farming industry.
He told Farming Today on BBC he is personally owed almost £800 for the sale of five calves marketed through Beeston.
“A great deal of farmers are owed money, the amounts vary greatly depending on when stocks were marketed and the size of the farm,” he added.
“But even a small amount has a dramatic impact and presents problems with cash flow.
“It’s worrying time. We work hard to produce the quality stock we sell, and to receive no income is just devastating. It will have a massive impact on farmers in Cheshire.”
Beeston Castle auction mart had been operating for more than 150 years and attracted farmers from Cheshire, Shropshire, North Wales and further.
Local farmers will now have to travel further to market the cattle.
Phil Latham, another dairy farmer near Nantwich, told Nantwich News that TB restrictions may have contributed to the market’s problems
He said: “It’s a sad end to the market, not just that but the estate agencies too.
“Unfortunately, Cheshire which is one of the most cattle dense counties in the country no longer has its own market.
“It means it’s further to market our animals.
“I’m afraid it’s rather symptomatic of our number of herds with TB restrictions, which prohibit sales through the market.
“Of course less trade means less income for the auction.”
Anthony Collier, of administrators FRP Advisory, said: “Our focus now is on identifying a purchaser for the other aspects of the business in order to maximise any returns for creditors, and of course to work closely with the Redundancy Payments Service to support all affected employees at what we know will be a difficult time.”
Interested parties should contact Simon Farr at FRP Advisory on 0161 833 3344.
(pic courtesy of NFUonline)
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