Knackeries have requested an emergency meeting from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – but have been told that no such meeting would be possible before Monday afternoon, March 2, according to the Animal Collectors’ Association (ACA).
In a statement to AgriLand, the knackeries representative group outlined that it has been mandated by its members at a meeting yesterday evening, Friday, February 28, to request an emergency meeting with the department.
The purpose of such a meeting would be to “resolve the recently published, unagreed Fallen Animal Scheme”, the group said.
This follows the decision by knackeries across the country to halt animal collection services last Wednesday, February 26 – followed by a full closure of knackery gates in strike the following day following a dispute with the department over the Fallen Animal Scheme.
“Regrettably, the ACA has been informed by the Department of Agriculture that they are unavailable to meet until Monday afternoon, March 2,” the statement said.
“However, the ACA remains available for further discussions with the department to bring the current situation to a conclusion as soon as possible.
“Knackeries across the country remain closed,” the representative group concluded.