Additional reporting by Claire Mc Cormack
Members of the Beef Plan Movement have begun protesting outside the meat factory in Charleville, Co. Cork, early this morning, Wednesday, August 7.
Setting up shop at 5:00am, the protesters are in good spirits, according to the farm organisation’s regional chairman for the south-west, Dermot O’Brien.
The chairman called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, to arrange and mediate a meeting between Meat Industry Ireland (MII) and the Beef Plan Movement as a matter of urgency.
On the protest outside Dawn Meats Charleville, O’Brien said: “It’s been very good, very controlled – a lot of good will here.
We’ve met the management here and relations are very good; we’re carrying out a peaceful protest and we’re extending that good will to all the farmers.
“I’ve been with the management and we’ve gone through it; we’re going to treat everyone with dignity – we want to educate the people as we meet them.
“We’ve met everyone, shook their hands and we’ve chatted with them. We’ve met the driver of each vehicle and apologised for the delay and that’s the way it is today now.”
Regarding other protests, the chairman said: “Beef Plan would have liked if other protests at other plants in Munster were carried out in a similar manner; there have been safety risks at some plants and Beef Plan is not particularly happy about that.
“Here in Charleville this morning, everything is managed perfectly, there’s nobody charging the line; respect is shown to all the protesters and the management of the factory have been extremely professional in the way that they’ve dealt with the protest.”
O’Brien stressed that Beef Plan protesters in the Co. Cork town are following guidelines and have been well briefed on the demonstration which will continue “indefinitely”.
“I am asking for Minister Michael Creed to please intervene as this is causing distress for many people involved in the beef sector.
We are asking him to come down, mediate and arrange a meeting between MII and Beef Plan as a matter of extreme urgency.
“Beef Plan does not want to hinder anybody involved in the beef industry; it is not our wish to do so, but it is our wish to ensure that the beef farmer of Ireland receives the cost of production and a margin,” O’Brien concluded.