21st May, 2013

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association has welcomed a move by ferry company Stena Line to offer preferential rates on Stena’s Irish Sea crossings to hauliers who are importing fodder through a special ICSA scheme.

The preferential rates came about following a meeting between a delegation from ICSA, led by president Gabriel Gilmartin, and senior Stena representatives in Dublin yesterday. Following the meeting, Mr Gilmartin said, “Stena expressed a great deal of empathy with the situation being faced by our members and were keen to work with us to help alleviate the pressure on farmers.”

“Over the past number of weeks, the major stumbling block has been the transport issue. Good quality bales of hay are available in large quantities in England and France, but we simply cannot bring them into Ireland fast enough. This very welcome step by Stena Line will hopefully make a big difference to the continuing efforts to get fodder moving to those places that still urgently need it,” the ICSA leader said.

Hauliers should first contact the ICSA National Office on 057 8662120 for details of how to avail of the reduced rates.