VENDORS have now been welcomed back into Skipton Auction Mart following a slight easing of Covid-19 regulations, effective from Saturday, July 4.

However, as with buyers, there are stringent conditions governing their admittance.

Inherent throughout is the vital need to maintain safe distancing from other customers and mart staff in all situations and at all times. There are several keynote directives which vendors must follow to avoid being asked to leave the mart, including:

• Seating and standing areas in all the sale rings remain reserved solely for buyers.

• While vendors are not allowed into any sale rings, controlled access is permitted to specific areas ringside for vendors to represent their stock for sale, but only while it is in the sale ring. Vendors must then leave the site

• At no time must vendors approach or attempt to approach buyers at the sale ring side.

While thanking everyone for their co-operation over the past three months in working with the mart to help keep it operational, Craven Cattle Marts’ general manager and auctioneer Jeremy Eaton stressed:

“Customers need to be aware that there is a very real risk that a positive case of Covid-19 identified through Trace and Track to a particular premises could result in their closure for 14 days.

“Our interpretation of the government guidelines is in place to reduce risk to our customers and staff from a public health perspective in the first instance and, secondly, to protect the commercial interests of both the company and our customers’ own businesses.

“So, while we recognise that some vendors are keen to return to market to represent stock being sold, everyone must be aware that we are still in difficult times from a health perspective – and clearly recognise that there is a very real risk of a second spike in infection. Therefore, everyone must play their part in keeping one another safe, and keeping market staff safe.”