A Clare Government Senator claims farmers are being held to ransom by the unfair trading practices of rendering plants.
It comes as deceased livestock remains in situ on holdings across the country due to the second week of the collectors and renderers dispute.
Since December 4th, Ireland’s three rendering plants located in Waterford, Dublin, Wicklow and Meath have stopped accepting material from the country’s thirty-eight knackeries.
Otherwise known as Fallen Animal Collectors, Knackeries claim they’re unable to meet recent price hikes imposed by renderers.
This means for the last eight days and counting, farmers have had no-one to remove dead livestock from their farms, with vets now advising farmers have to place animals in half-tonne tarpaulin bags.
Martina Coffey from Vincent Cofffey and Sons Knackery in Ennis says the industry has been caught between rising Irish render prices and the lack of subsidies.
Clare’s Fianna Fáil Senator believes its time for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to intervene in the dispute.
Earlier this year, the cost of rendering increased from €60 to €180 per tonne, while under the fallen animals scheme, knackeries are limited in terms of how much of this cost they can actually pass on to farmers.
Senator Timmy Dooley claims renderers must be investigated for unfair trading practices.
The Mountshannon native says they’re attempting to hold farmers, local business and the government to ransom, during an immensely challenging time for all involved.
You can listen to the full interview here:
