The conviction of Asba Meats for a breach of the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) regulations is not the first time that the Clare-based meat processor has come to public attention.

The Irish Farmers Journal carried a number of stories this year regarding delayed payments by Asba Meats for livestock.

One Galway farmer was waiting close to 11 months to receive full payment for a load of cattle that was supplied to the factory in July of 2023.

The value of the 14 cattle after deductions was in excess of €29,300. The farmer was eventually paid on a phased basis for the cattle, but he did not receive his final €3,300 until the end of June this year – after his case was highlighted by this newspaper.

The farmer’s main point of contact at Asba Meats was Tareq Khan, a senior executive with the firm.

The farmer said he had to repeatedly call and message Khan to secure payments. He also visited Asba Meat’s killing and processing plants at Drumquin outside Ennis and at Shannon, in order to push for payment.

Other farmers and dealers who contacted this newspaper related similar stories. The farmers had to wait between six and eight weeks for payment; one dealer was waiting a number of months.

Meanwhile, IFA livestock chair Declan Hanrahan confirmed that the association had to “make representations” to Asba Meats for a number of farmers who were awaiting payments for cattle.

When asked earlier this year why payments to some farmers had been delayed, Tareq Khan claimed that Asba Meats’ computer software system was hacked in 2023.

Certification issues with the Department of Agriculture had also impacted the operation of the plant, he said.