APART from the gallons of pink disinfectant swilling around, the shiny new look to the recently repainted metalwork of the pens and the smooth, sanded wood of the seats and rails around the ring, Kendal Auction Mart shows little sign of the trauma of recent times.

Behind the scenes, however, things have changed.

During the year-long suspension of live sales across Britain, Kendal Auction Mart teamed up with Carlisle-based giant Harrison and Hetherington and unveiled ambitious plans to relocate from its home of 101 years on Appleby Road, Kendal, to create a state-of-the-art agricultural centre, complete with new mart and an abattoir, close to junction 36 of the M6.

Auctioneer Kevin Kendal told the Gazette: "The Harrison and Hetherington partnership has given us a brand that is known throughout the country.

It has brought a lot of people round the ring with a fresh impetus.

At one of our big shows recently, it was so busy it was like going back six years."

Kevin admitted that, prior to the partnership with H&H, Kendal was struggling as a fairly small outfit.

"Resources were very, very tight 12 months ago," he said.

"We did not have the resources to help customers and we recognised that.

More than 12 months of foot-and-mouth has forced us to look at that.

The link with H & H has given us more resources and the ability to offer our customers a better service."

Indeed, since the lifting of some foot-and-mouth restrictions allowed the resumption of live cattle sales, around seven weeks ago, the mart has bounced back strongly.

"Biosecurity is still a huge issue, it is making life very difficult," said Kevin.

"Things are nowhere near back to normal but the fact that we are back around the ring again helps the feeling of optimism."

He said there had been some excellent store sales with an abundance of good grazing helping to hold up stock prices and no sign that farmers from traditional 'finish' areas to the south and east

were reluctant to buy Cumbrian stock after the crisis.

The increasing threat of Bovine tuberculosis was a worry, particularly for those restocking with animals from further south where the disease was more prevalent, but Kevin was looking forward to the resumption of live sales of store and breeding sheep.

In fact, the mart has a sale of sheep with lambs at foot planned for May 20.

The hope is that DEFRA will lift live sale restrictions in time, if not, the sale will go ahead as a virtual video sale.

Overall, Kevin is optimistic about the mart's future.

Plans for the big move to junction 36 are still afoot and the H&H Kendal Partnership recently began running livestock sales at Broughton-in Furness mart.

After foot-and-mouth and the Haskins report, the traditional mart system may never return to its pre foot-and-mouth practices.

Co-operation like that between Kendal and H & H is likely to become necessary, if not sufficient for survival.

Kevin said: "The mart system is fighting for survival.

I think over the next 12 months we will see some marts closing." However, in partnership with H & H, he was optimistic that Kendal Auction Mart would weather the storm.

For information on forthcoming sales and market reports etc, visit www.kendalauction.co.uk