Final sale held as Cardigan Mart closes

The auctioneer’s hammer came down for the final time in a decision that has been described as dealing a bitter blow to the town and the wider farming community.

The closure was announced by auctioneers JJ Morris last month and today the final livestock sale was held.

Among the reasons for the decision, it blamed a falling throughput of animals due to the number of farms in the region with TB breakdowns that prevent sales of cattle.

The closure of Cardigan mart will have implications beyond the trading of livestock as it is an important meeting place for the farming community. There will also be a knock-on effect to Cardigan town which experiences a rise in trade on mart days.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) said it feared for the future of smaller livestock markets.

FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas said: “It won’t have been an easy decision for them to make.

“The closure of any local mart removes a vital lifeline from the community and also makes it necessary for farmers to travel far greater distances to sell their stock."