Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections is firmly established as the premier dead and worn animal collection service in the Connacht and North West region. We touched base with office manager Stacey Murphy to get an update on this exceptional, industry-leading family business.
For half a century and counting, Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections has been providing an invaluable service to farmers. From their HQ at Achonry in Tubbercurry – the only knackery in County Sligo – they offer a prompt, professional, value-added and compassionate fallen animal collection service covering counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim and parts of Galway and Roscommon.
The fact that Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections has stood the test of time providing such a specialist service across the decades says more about the quality and dependability of their work than any amount of masterfully-crafted paragraphs in this publication ever could!
Suffice to say that: as a second-generation family business, Maloney and Matthews – which was established in the 1970s by Vincent Maloney and Jim Matthews – prides itself on invariably delivering a personal touch.
This is achieved through the provision of a fleet of high-quality, well-maintained trucks and trailers, operated by skilled and experienced drivers, with a focus very much geared towards showing empathy and understanding for animals and their owners alike.
“It’s all about animal welfare, that’s our number one priority,” confirms office manager Stacey Murphy, daughter of co-founder Jim Matthews. “We go out of our way to provide a quality service. Our drivers are all experienced and at this stage they are on first-name terms with most of our customers. The vast majority of our work is for farmers and losing an animal can be a very difficult experience, so you have to be sympathetic and also provide a professional service.”
To ensure that they meet their prime objective of consistently removing fallen animals in a professional manner to ensure minimum fuss and disturbance for the farmer involved, the Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections fleet (which can access all farm areas) is constantly upgraded and currently comprises eight lorries – a mix of Scania, Isuzu, MAN and DAF – with tipper trailers and hiab loading cranes.
Each of the eight drivers covers his own designated area. Fallen animals are collected locally and transported to Limavady, Derry for rendering.
Invariably providing farmers with a prompt, reliable, value-for-money service, Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections have trucks strategically located in Ballinrobe, Castlebar, Ballina, Claremorris, Tubbercurry, Sligo, Ballybofey and Westport,
“We’d always have a truck in the area so, if a farmer calls us in the morning, we will get out for a same-day collection,” Stacey continues. “We collect every animal within a maximum of 24 hours but it is usually a lot quicker.
“The business is going really well at the moment and a lot of this is down to the loyalty of our customers. There’s a lot of paperwork required to keep everything above board but we are fully certified and compliant with all relevant regulations and legislation. All the trucks are kept in great condition. The drivers inspect them daily and we carry out twelve-week checks to make sure everything is as it should be. This minimises downtime and ensures that we can focus all our attention on customer service.”
Service is everything in any line of business and not least in an area as sensitive and important as fallen animal collection. No stone is left unturned in providing customers with an accommodating and flexible service, tailored to their specific needs or preferences. In the case where a farmer has his own transport, he can drop the animal off himself at the knackery facility in Achonry at a discounted rate.
As well as collecting fallen animals from farms, Maloney and Matthews also provide a wonderful service to Sligo County Council, Mayo County Council, Leitrim County Council and Galway County Council for the removal of deer or other animals with no tags found on the roadside or in any other public place.
One of the values that permeates the very fabric of day-to-day activities at Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections is the strong family ethos that is reflected in a personal, customer-focused service. Stacey is joined in the business by two brothers and her husband and is hoping that one day the third generation of the family might take the reins.
“We have three young boys and they are showing an interest in it,” she concludes. “Our ten-year-old is out with his father in one of the trucks as we speak. You never know what career path they might chose but we’ll see what the future brings. In the meantime, we’ll just keep our standards high and continue to provide farmers with the best possible service, and hopefully the business will be here for many more years to come.”
Considering Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections’ exemplary track record and renowned commitment to customer service, this looks like a safe bet!
Maloney and Matthews Animal Collections Ltd.,
Achonry,
Tubbercurry,
County Sligo.
Tel: 071 9121928 / 094 9541555 (Ballinrobe)
Mobile: 087 7988064
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 11 No 5, October/November 2023
