The transaction is subject to approval from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the CCPC has been notified of the proposed acquisition. The deal, if granted a seal of approval by the CCPC, will further consolidate the beef and sheep processing sectors, in which a number of mergers and acquisitions have occurred in recent years. Unsurprisingly, the pending acquisition has not been welcomed, generally speaking. Irish Farmers’ Association president, Tim Cullinan, said the CCPC has a critical role to play in assessing the potential impact further consolidation of the cattle and sheep processing sector will have on competition within the sector for farmers.
“Kildare Chilling as a standalone processing factory for cattle and sheep offers vital competition for farmers selling cattle and sheep,” he said.
“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,” he added. The IFA president highlighted the role that the CCPC must play in ensuring that maximum competition in the processing of cattle and sheep continues to be provided.