Farm organisations are currently protesting against the potential closure of the RVL in Athlone. The protest follows similar demonstrations in Kilkenny and Limerick earlier this year and last week’s show of force by all farm organisations in Sligo.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, ICSA Westmeath chairman Dan Lynam said: “We have questions as to how this ludicrous proposal could ever work. For example, should these facilities be shut down, who will cover the cost of transporting dead animals to Dublin? We also need to know how many of the labs,including Backweston, can facilitate lorry loads of dead animals without investment?”

The movement of dead animals should be kept to an absolute minimum

Lynam said he would also be asking the review committee what the implications would be of transporting infectious carcasses across the country in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease or any other infectious disease.

“This would surely be a biosecurity risk,” said Lynam. “The movement of dead animals should be kept to an absolute minimum. It facilitates the spread of disease more than anything else. One has to remember that the beef and sheep trade is worth several billion to the economy and we have to protect that. We need to be prepared for any future challenges in the sector. Shipping dead carcasses around the country just makes no sense on any level.”

Hugely detrimental

Also attending the meeting with the review committee will be ICSA Roscommon chairman Ger Grehan who said that closing down the lab in Athlone, or any other of the regional labs, would be hugely detrimental to animal welfare and short-sighted in the extreme. “ICSA will be keeping up the pressure to ensure the labs can continue to provide the valuable service they do.”

Review

As revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal in January, one of the scenarios under the review would see Athlone RVL cover the entire north and west following the closure of Sligo RVL. Another proposal is to close five of the six RVLs, including Athlone, and centralise services in Backweston, Co Dublin.

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