Cattle slaughtering has resumed at the meat plant at Lifford, Co Donegal, but about 100 farmers are still owed payment for cattle supplied before it closed in 2016.

The company which then ran the plant, Edenmore Farm Meats, no longer exists, having been dissolved in January 2018. The plant has now been opened under the ownership of Co Armagh meat company C&J Meats. It bought the plant from the receiver appointed by AIB.

A former owner of Edenmore Farm Meats, Liam McGavigan, is now working for C&J Meats as a manager at the plant.

C&J Meats is based in Craigavon, Co Armagh, and is owned by John McCann and Colm Pyers. The firm had turnover of £36m in 2016 and made net profit after tax of £106,943. It has just over 60 employees.

Activity at the Lifford plant resumed in the first week of this month. That was followed by two days’ slaughtering last week. Capacity at the plant is approximately 100 cattle per week. In the past, sheep and pigs have also been slaughtered there, with the meat supplied to local butchers.

The sums owed to farmers vary from under €1,000 to over €40,000. One farmer is owed payment for over 40 cattle he delivered to the plant shortly before it closed.

Donegal IFA chair Michael Chance said it was sickening that beef farmers have been left unpaid for cattle supplied while the plant has reopened under new ownership and with involvement of former management. He said it was completely wrong that farmers who supplied cattle to Edenmore have been left high and dry.

He said IFA has contacted the new owners and made it clear that farmer goodwill is essential and farmers owed monies by the previous regime must be paid.