Knackeries around the country will re-commence services on a temporary basis following talks with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), it has been confirmed.

In a brief statement, a spokesperson for the Animal Collectors Association (ACA) confirmed that factories will reopen, saying:

“Following a meeting with DAFM yesterday, Monday, September 16, all knackeries in the country will temporarily re-commence services based on a verbal agreement given by DAFM.

Once formal confirmation on the verbal agreement issued by the department is received by the ACA on Tuesday, September 17, full knackeries’ services will resume as normal.

“Obviously, it is in the best interest of all stakeholders involved that this is speedily concluded; thus avoiding any further hardship to both the farming and knackery industries,” the ACA representative concluded.

Knackeries had remained closed for almost a week following an ACA announcement last Tuesday, September 10, that previous talks with the department had collapsed.

As of Friday, September 13, there were 3,000 dead cattle “left in fields and yards” that have not been disposed of due to the knackeries’ dispute.

At the time, the association said: “We regret we cannot provide our invaluable service to these people but it is simply no longer viable to continue business without the return of adequate funding from the Government.”