Beef Plan asks public to 'stand together and support farmers'

The Beef Plan Movement has issued a statement asking the citizens of Ireland and all farm organisations to “stand together in unity to support our farmers”.

In the statement issued this morning, Tuesday, September 10, the Beef Plan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, to “take a hardline approach” on addressing the current impasse.

The statement said: “The jobs and livelihoods of 80,000 farm families in rural Ireland are directly affected by the irresponsible behaviour of Meat Industry Ireland (MII) and its members by walking away from yesterday’s negotiations which the minister organised.

Yesterday’s walkout is an optic and show of power by meat processors against farmers and a show of blatant disregard for the minister and all farm organisations, who attended the bilateral talks in an effort to bring about resolution.

Last night, the Beef Plan Movement requested Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to intervene and for the Government to “use all their resources to protect Irish farmers and their families from the show of power by meat processors and retailers”.

Leadership

According to the Beef Plan “there has been no leadership shown by MII, retailers or Bord Bia, who use taxpayers money and their short-sighted approach could lead to a total collapse of the beef industry and everyone employed within”.

During yesterday’s talks, a commitment to talk to farmers on picket lines was discussed with Michael Downing chairman of the bilateral talks.

A compromise was committed to by Beef Plan to engage with farmers on picket lines to bring about a resolution if all legal threats were officially withdrawn by the meat processors and all associated costs and the rights to reapply were also removed.

Beef Plan also made a request to extend this goodwill to all independent farmer protesters and have injunctions lifted from them also.