A — lowering Antrim sky is heavy with the promise of
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rain as we drive into the Ballymoney yard of R Barkley & Sons. Three bright green tractors are waiting on a low-loader to go out to a customer somewhere in Ireland. Brothers Brian and Kenneth Barkley, who run the business that their father started 35 years ago, are in a thoughtful mood. The BSE crisis is hitting their business hard— transporting farm machinery represents 40% of their work and sales are down over 15% as farmers struggle to meet their commitments. "If anything, we are surprised at the way the machinery has kept up," says Brian.
Meat hauliers and others are undercutting furiously in an attempt to keep wheels on the road. Kenneth gloomily fears things will get worse: "The BSE crisis is just begin
ning to tell." Brian agrees: "Hauliers are not prepared to lay a lorry off. They would rather cut rates. Here, for example, we get 80 pence a mile whereas in England you get £1 a mile."
Customers, sensing an opportunity, are demanding lower rates against a background of sharply rising fuel prices. "They are saying that someone else will do it cheaper," adds Brian. It's fortunate for Barkley that it has a variety of work.
The farm machinery is backed up by groupage, full loads, concrete distribution and a reefer operation taking bacon and cheese to English markets. It transports machinery all over the UK, including forklift trucks manufactured by Matbro in Dungannon. It delivers John Deere tractors and other machines to dealers all over Ireland. It picks up machinery from Nottingham and as far afield as France. The busiest time is February to April when dealers are stocking up and the farmers are considering new equipment for the harvesting season. To fill the gap caused by the downturn in machinery sales, Barkley has introduced more dry freight and attempted to boost its reefer work.
Battling against the current
gloom, it even added four new 95 Series Spacecabs to its fleet in January, representing two replacements and two additions to the fleet. Then there is 1,720m2 of warehousing just purchased which the brothers
intend to let out for manufacturing, which attracts no rates bill. But they're sceptical of the economic miracle that was supposed to mirror the peace process, citing the closure of a local factory with the loss of 400 jobs. "They're not coming in to manufacture," snorts Kenneth. "B&Q, Sainsbury's and McDonalds are opening but they're coming in to take money out rather than put it in." As for European funding, Brian professes little time for the concept "They'll give money to people to start up but they won't give anything to the fellow who is already in business."