Anglo East Ltd has gone into the business of slaughtering and processing cattle, sheep and deer. The company has been approved by Longford County Council to operate a slaughter house in an abattoir at Main Street, Lanesborough.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands the firm is renting the premises. Anglo East has also achieved organic symbol status from IOFGA for its beef, feedlot and lamb products.

Local farmers say Anglo East is paying one of the highest prices in the country for wild deer.

Anglo East has been and continues to be involved in live exports of cattle and sheep. Paolo Garavelli, a former director of controversial live export company TLT, which went into receivership, is associated with Anglo East and has previously been described as its sales and transport manager. When contacted by the Irish Farmers Journal this week Paolo Garavelli declined to comment.

Twelve months ago, he and his brother Davide were ordered by the High Court to pay sums exceeding €3m to HSBC Invoice Finance Ltd because their company, TLT, breached a financial agreement it had with the bank.

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of abattoirs processing wild deer, shot under licence by hunters.

This has arisen from the increase in deer numbers across the country and most notably in Co Wicklow, where the deer are encroaching on farmland and eating grass meant for cattle and sheep.

In total, there are 16 premises approved for processing wild deer. Three of those are also approved for slaughtering.

Some hunters are presenting wild deer to abattoirs as entire carcases, while others present them with the viscera removed. Some abattoirs are paying €100 for an entire carcase and others are paying on carcase weight, with prices of €2 to €3/kg.