Minister Must Solve Fallen Animal Dispute

IFA Animal Health Chairman Pat Farrell said the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and his officials must resolve the fallen animals dispute but said that farmers should not be used as pawns in the dispute.

“The responsibility rests with the Minister to ensure farmers are provided with the means to have fallen animals removed in a timely and cost-efficient manner from their farms,” he said.

He said advising farmers how to store these animals on their farms is not an appropriate response to a critical issue at the busiest time of year.

“Minister Creed and his officials must, as a matter of urgency, move to have all fallen animals removed from farms. They must put measures in place that ensure farmers are not held to ransom in a dispute between the Department and service providers, that has its origins in Department of Agriculture inaction and poor decision making on this issue over a number of years,” he said.

Issues such as the removal of the 125km maximum distance requirement in the TSE subsidy scheme would remove significant costs from the disposal of fallen animals.

The IFA Chairman said equally farmers cannot be used as pawns by knackeries in this dispute.

He said this is a reckless action at the most critical time of year on farms.  IFA has spoken with the Knackery Association and have offered support to resolve the impasse, but collections must resume.