Sinn Féin has called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to resolve a dispute with knackeries over the Fallen Animal Scheme.

As reported by Agriland at the weekend, the Animal Collectors' Association (ACA) informed the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that it would reduce services nationwide due to the lack of a new scheme to partially cover the costs of fallen animal collection services.

The ACA said it has had "prolonged engagement" with the department and submitted a "detailed targeted business case" on its request for a new scheme, but no new scheme has been introduced.

The association said that, beginning this week, fallen sheep collected by ACA-affiliated knackery operators will not be prepared and presented to department vets for sampling for the disease scrapie.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture Martin Kenny called on the minister to engage with the knackeries, saying: "Animal collection services that are provided by local knackeries are a vital service to farmers and an integral part of Ireland's animal welfare standards.

"Knackeries also provide a public health and safety service by collecting these fallen animals and disposing of them properly instead of farmers having to bury them on their farms where there would be concerns of water sources being contaminated," Kenny added.

"The latest scheme expired in September this year and despite numerous attempts by the ACA to engage with the department of agriculture to establish a new scheme, knackeries have continued to collect fallen animals without a new Fallen Animal Scheme in place," the Sligo-Leitrim TD said.

He said that the work-to-rule that ACA members have commenced is "a worrying development, as testing for scrapie in sheep is vital for combating the disease".

"The failure on the minister and the Department of Agriculture to engage with the ACA is now affecting animal welfare," Kenny claimed.

"I am calling on the minister for agriculture to engage with the ACA as soon as possible and resolve this issue. Irish farmers need a fully-functioning knackery service, and knackery operators need a new Fallen Animal Scheme established," he added.