Govt urged to provide funding to resolve fallen animal scheme row
Funding for a new Fallen Animal Scheme "must not come out of farmers' pockets", the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) has said.
A dispute between the Animal Collectors' Association (ACA) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) over the Fallen Animal Scheme is now in its second week.
The ACA has confirmed that the reduction in services has escalated this week with knackeries no longer collecting fallen sheep and horses.
In addition, on-farm deaths of animals will also not be notified to the department by knackeries.
Fallen sheep collected by ACA-affiliated knackery operators have not been prepared and presented to DAFM vets for sampling for the disease, scrapie since Monday, October 19.
Fallen animal scheme
ICSA Animal Health and Welfare chair John Barron said the government must provide additional funding to resolve the dispute over fallen animal collections without increasing costs for farmers.
"Farmers cannot be expected to foot the bill for this dispute. Knackeries are facing higher costs, just like everyone else, but the funding they receive from the department has not increased in many years.
"The government needs to provide the money required to keep this essential service running without passing the extra cost on to farmers," he said.
Barron said the withdrawal of fallen sheep and horse collections was "a serious concern".
"When an animal dies on a farm, farmers need to know they can get it collected at a reasonable cost.
"They should not face higher charges because the department and knackery operators cannot agree on funding.
"The department and the ACA need to reach an agreement urgently.
"The funding must be sufficient to keep collections operating and ensure that essential animal health and reporting requirements are maintained, without leaving farmers to pay more," he added.
