Knackery owner John Hastings has said owners are calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to resolve what he described as an ongoing “strike”.
Sources in the knackery sector have told Agriland that rendering plants in the Republic of Ireland have stopped accepting material from knackeries for rendering since last Monday (December 4).
It is claimed that this is due to the knackeries’ inability to pay the cost of rendering, which saw an increase a number of months ago.
As a result of this, Hastings said that knackeries around the country are “on strike” and will not be picking animals up from farms.
Hastings said that the department needs to “bridge the gap”, but is showing “no movement on the matter”.
“The sooner we get a resolution, the sooner everyone can get back working,” Hastings said.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) animal health chair said farmers have been caught up in this “dispute”, due to the “inaction” of the department.
He said that the IFA met with senior DAFM officials during the year and highlighted the problems with the system, but added that the department “failed to take any action”.
The Irish Creameries Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president Pat McCormack has also called on the department to “get stuck in” to resolving the “standoff”.
He added that the minister needed to act as a “mediator”.
“We are going to need the minister and his officials to take a much more hands on approach to this and tell the parties involved – whether knackeries or rendering plants – that this has to be solved,” McCormack said.
It is understood that the Animal Collectors’ Association (ACA) has sought a meeting with the DAFM with a view to resolving the issue, but has not received a response yet.
A spokesperson from the ACA said that a meeting was held between the department and spokespersons from rendering plants, however the results of this meeting have not been confirmed.
Agriland is waiting for a response from DAFM on this issue.