20 FEBRUARY 2020

ICSA Animal Health and Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has said the last thing farmers need is for knackery services to be further disrupted. Speaking following the announcement from the Animal Collectors’ Association (ACA) that collection services are to be halted from next Wednesday Mr Farrell said, “It is very worrying that negotiations between the Department of Agriculture and the ACA on a new Fallen Animal Scheme have come to this impasse. The Department of Agriculture have dragged their heels and once again farmers will be the losers,” he said.

Continuing Mr Farrell said, “During talks, the priority for ICSA has always been the protection of a nationwide knackery service and for that service to be available to farmers at a reasonable price. Nobody wants to see a repeat of the situation we had last autumn when over 3,000 fallen animals were left uncollected on farms for an extended time due to a previous stoppage.”

“The Department of Agriculture needs to recognise the urgency of the situation and respond in a constructive manner for this issue to be resolved. There are ways to move this dispute forward and it has to be done sooner rather than later, he said.”

ENDS