There has been little or no developments in ABP’s high profile tie-up with Slaney Meats in the last number of weeks.
It is understood that all parties are waiting on notification from either the competition authorities in Dublin or Brussels as to who is going to investigate the case with the latter understood to be the strong favourite.
In the meantime stakeholders such as farm organisations are believed to be preparing their submissions on the case. It is also understood that IFA is set to put significant resources into fighting the merger.
It is believed the organisation has employed the services to a top competition expert to prepare there case.
The IFA say that ABP would also have control of 30% of the beef kill around 40% of the sheep kill.
One insider estimated that if the deal goes through ABP would have the lion’s share of the Angus and Hereford kill in the country.
IFA led an 800-strong protest at the Slaney plant in recent weeks where National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns said that farmers are “sick and tired of the lack of competition” and the impact it is having on the beef sector.
He called on the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to “get stuck in and tackle the lack of competition that has plagued the Irish beef sector for years”.
However, insiders say that further consolidation is likely in the beef processing sector in Ireland.