Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept it is not ideal and that the further you are from the North, the longer the journey and the less practical the arrangement. However, it is an option and an outlet. In the absence of the three rendering plants in the Republic accepting carcases, I have removed the rules that restricted the distance you can go with a fallen animal to 125 km. Now, no matter what part of the country you are in, you can go to the North. That outlet is available, although it is not nearly as practical as the previous one.

Thankfully, this is a colder time of the year, but this has been going on for a week and a half.

If a farmer has an animal that has fallen over a week ago and needs a solution, he or she should contact his or her animal collector first and foremost. The option is there for the collector to go to the North but in the absence of that, I provided an emergency option yesterday for farmers to contact their local Department regional veterinary office to get a licence to bury the animal. Up to 30 years ago, and including when I was growing up, all animals were buried on the farm. We have moved away from that practice and we need to stay away from that practice but there is an emergency because the three renderers are not accepting animal carcases at the moment so I am providing an opportunity to farmers to apply for that authorisation.

See this speech in context