Knackeries resumed testing fallen sheep for scrapie on Monday, following a meeting with the Department of Agriculture on Friday.

The Animal Collectors Association (ACA) told the Irish Farmers Journal that it has recommended that its members “temporarily suspend” their reduction of services.

“The recommendation by the ACA has been made in anticipation of comprehensive negotiations between the ACA and the Department, leading to an agreed renewal of the Fallen Animal Scheme ahead of the termination of the current scheme on 25 February 2023,” the ACA said.

Knackeries had threatened a further reduction in services and potential strike action unless there was an immediate review of the payments it receives under the Fallen Animal Scheme, along with emergency funding to cope with rising diesel, energy and labour costs.

Commitment

A Department spokesperson said there is a “mutual commitment” to progress discussions on the scheme.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture told the Irish Farmers Journal that it had “repeatedly requested ACA to submit details of increased operating costs since March 2022” in the form of actual cost data on diesel, energy and labour costs from individual knackeries.

The Irish Farmers Journal can reveal that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said that the sharing of this data “may constitute a concerted practice”, such as price fixing, under competition law.

Concerns were highlighted to the CCPC by the Irish SME Association, which the ACA is an affiliate member of, about whether furnishing the Department with the individual costs of each knackery would fall foul of competition law.

In response, the CCPC said: “The sharing of strategic data, i.e individual and sensitive price and cost information by the independent knackeries, who are members of ACA and all of whom are in competition with each other, may constitute a concerted practice incentives to compete.”