Gardaí will intervene at meat processor sites to allow lorries to pass in and out, and to “allow normal processing” following the issuing of a High Court injunction, according to Cormac Healy, senior director of Meat Industry Ireland (MII).
Speaking on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Wednesday, August 28, Healy said: “It is an injunction granted by the courts, it is deemed that the protests are illegal, and I presume the authorities and Gardaí will seek to allow normal processing and will attempt to get trucks in and out.”
He said that he hoped that the authorities would begin to put the injunction into action today.
I hope we see sense prevail here, given some time and patience, and we get trucks moving in and out and customers being served, and, actually, cattle coming from other farmers being supplied to the plants.
He also spoke about the visit to Ireland by a team of officials from China to inspect Irish meat plants, with a view to approving further beef and lamb processing facilities for exporting products to the Asian country.
Healy explained that these inspectors arrived in Ireland yesterday, and were scheduled to visit 16 plants throughout the country over the coming weeks.
“This is a real opportunity to build our export volumes by getting more plants approved. It is positive for the overall sector and we hope that those can progress over the next two weeks without interruption,” he said.
We’ve been working for months with the minister and with Bord Bia to secure this inspection mission. It’s been two years since we had the last inspection mission from Chinese inspectors here that approved the first batch of plants, and we really do need to take this opportunity for the betterment of the entire sector.
Healy also reiterated that MII would be willing to talk to farmers, but only when protests have been stopped.
“The minister contacted stakeholders yesterday. We have indicated to him that we are willing to engage in talks. Obviously those talks can only take place when there are no blockades and protests at our members’ gates,” he said.