Protestors angered by decision to stand down for talks

Farmers at Ballyjamesduff were angered by the news that they had been ordered to stand down by the Beef Plan Movement from their protest.

One very irate farmer standing outside Liffey Meats, the focus of the protests in County Cavan, told the Celt this morning that "the rug's been pulled from underneath us". 

 

Minister Creed announced that negotiations between all parties will commence on Monday, August 12 and an independent chairperson will preside over an agreed agenda.

The farmer who didn't want to be named insisted: "We will be back Monday night or Tuesday morning if we don't like what we hear."

The farmers this morning reluctantly left the factory gates. The Beef Plan Movement had consistently rejected calls from both MII and the minister for talks under the precondition that the protests are first called off. However, on Thursday evening the factories warned that they would commence legal proceedings. 

Yesterday (Friday) evening Minister Michael Creed announced that The Beef Plan Movement and Meat Industry Ireland (MII) had accepted compromise proposals. The Beef Plan have agreed to stand down all protests at meat factories, while the legal proceedings initited by five processors are to be suspended with immediate effect until talks conclude.

Reacting to yesterday's development ICSA president Edmond Phelan said the time for talking has arrived and that all parties should now focus their attention on delivering a long overdue overhaul of the beef sector in this country.

"ICSA welcomes the intervention of Minister Creed and the commitment from MII that legal proceedings will be suspended and we expect in return that protesting farmers will allow space for talks to begin immediately," he said.

"The last two weeks of protests have demonstrated clearly that the Irish beef sector must be reconfigured.

"If we value this industry, then the time to protect it and to develop it in a way that is sustainable for all is now," he said.