A ballot of members of the Animal Collectors’ Association (ACA) will be conducted today, Monday, February 17, to “determine the best way forward” following stalled talks with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

In a statement to AgriLand this morning, the knackery representative organisation noted the emergency meeting it held yesterday for its members.

“This meeting was called at very short notice due to the lack of commitment which has been shown by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to date,” the ACA statement said.

Negotiations have been ongoing since July 2019 between the knackeries and the department.

Members of the ACA are now very frustrated at the pace at which concerns are being dealt with by the Department of Agriculture. Knackeries across the country remain in financial difficulty.

“A ballot of the members of the ACA is being conducted today to determine the best way forward in light of the current situation,” the statement added.

Commenting ahead of the meeting on Friday, February 14, the ACA warned that, countrywide, knackeries are no longer financially viable, adding that day-to-day running expenses are rising annually, similar to most other Irish businesses.

“The ACA has been in negotiations with the department in protection of the farmer as knackeries did not want to put these additional charges or, alternatively, a lack of service onto the farmer,” the association explained.

Unfortunately, they are going to be left with no option due to the poor follow-through on commitments from the department.

Details on the ballot are expected to emerge when analysis of the results have been finalised, the organisation said.