Recent weeks have seen protests by Donegal farmers at Edenmore Farm Meats in Lifford over delayed payments for cattle they supplied to the firm. Up to 20 farmers claim they are still awaiting payment from cattle slaughtered as long as two years ago.

There were small pickets by the farmers outside the abattoir on recent Fridays when further slaughtering was due to take place.

The farmers say that at a recent meeting at the abattoir, management proposed they would receive staged payments if they continued to supply further livestock.

The company sells to a number of Irish customers and has in the past exported to the Continent.

Abridged accounts filed by the company show it lost €672,837 in 2015 and €128,830 in the previous accounting period.

Sums owed to creditors exceeded current assets held as stocks, debtors and bank cash in each of these years.

The most recent filings by the company to the Companies Registration Office, made last May, listed the owners as William Houston from St Johnston, Co Donegal; Liam McGavigan from Lifford; Shaun Watson, Carrigans; and Donal Gallagher from Middlesex in the UK.

The past 18 months have seen a number of changes in the firm’s directors.

Peter McCann contributed reporting for this story.