The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has called on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to carry out a thorough analysis of what a Dawn Meats takeover of the Kildare Chilling sheep and cattle plant will mean for farmers.

Any deal that lowers competition in the processing sector should be rejected, the IFA said.

The Irish Farmers Journal revealed on Tuesday that a deal between the two processors is set to see Kildare Chilling’s plant bought by Dawn Meats.

IFA president Tim Cullinan stated that the CCPC had a crucial role to play in assessing whether this affects competition.

“Kildare Chilling as a standalone processing factory for cattle and sheep offers vital competition for farmers selling cattle and sheep,” he said.

The IFA said that it sees the takeover as removing access to an independent factory.

“The CCPC must investigate thoroughly the impact this will have for competition in cattle and sheep processing, taking into consideration consolidation of processing that has occurred in this region in recent years, in particular the ABP-Slaney-ICM alignment,” Cullinan continued.

Read more

Kildare Chilling to be sold to Dawn Meats

Further consolidation in beef and sheep processing