project
The Prince’s Countryside Fund: Livestock Auction Marts Research Project
1 September 2019 - 30 September 2020
PI/s in Exeter: Professor Michael Winter
CI/s in Exeter: Professor Matt Lobley, Dr Caroline Nye
Research partners:
Funding awarded: £39831
Sponsor(s): The Prince's Countryside Fund and the John Oldacre Foundation Endowment
About the research
Livestock auction
marts have acted as significant meeting points for rural communities for over
200 years. Despite facing various challenges including disease outbreak and the
rise of electronic auctions, the sale of livestock at auction marts is still a
prevalent practice in UK farming. However, since 1963, auction marts have
declined by over 80% in England and Wales. This is largely due to changes in
transportation, challenges in accessing town locations, and the rise of
purpose-built agri-business centres outside of town centres. The purpose of
this research project is to identify the role, importance, and practice of
livestock auction marts (AMs) in terms of their social relevance to attendees,
value to the wider rural community, and opportunities for ‘best practice’ going
forward.
The main outputs of
the project will be:
1) To evidence the
role of auction marts within rural communities, and the importance of
diversification to the sustainability of the markets within the current
climate.
2) To use the findings
to inspire markets to explore new options and means of engaging with the wider
rural community.
3) To provide a case
for improved service integration through change.
The project has a 7
month timescale until April 2020.
Call for evidence on prospects for livestock auction marts in the UK
As part of this project, the researchers are launching a call for evidence on the following key questions:
- What do livestock auction marts contribute to the agricultural sector, the rural economy and communities, and the countryside, the absence of which might be felt were they to no longer exist as business entities within our communities?
- What do you think livestock auction marts contribute to the social lives, health, and well-being of those who attend them, if anything?
- How might livestock auction marts be encouraged and supported in order to survive into the future? What opportunities might they explore over and above their purpose of facilitating the sale of livestock? (examples might be as a site for farmer health hubs or business advice, other sales events, or opening a café/restaurant)
- Can you name or list any examples of good practice that you have witnessed where an auction mart is successfully employing a number of functions over and above the sale of livestock?
You can read the report of the findings of this project on our publications page.