The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) will ask its members if they would support a protest – or number of protests – at sheep processing facilities.

In a statement over the weekend, the IBLA criticised the recent protest by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in Roscommon town.

“The IBLA is of the strong opinion that the only place that a protest associated with the current serious income situation for sheep farmers should be held at is a meat processing facility,” it said.

According to the IBLA, the IFA’s request for a €30/ewe payment to sheep farmers is “at best a temporary band aid to a serious problem in the sector”.

“We have seen time and time again that any direct payment to a farmer is almost immediately taken by the processor in the form of a price cut, leaving the farmer no better off in the long run,” the group’s statement added.

It continued: “The fundamental problem in farming, not least the sheep sector, is the disproportionate level of financial risk that farmers must take year-in and year-out.

“The dominant position of meat processors has left farmers with little option other than to simply take whatever price is on offer at the time of sale.”

The IBLA is calling for supply contracts between farmers and processors to be put in place in order to remove some of the financial risk from farmers.

“A supply contract between a farmer and processor will allow the farmer to decide before they breed or buy store lambs if the terms and conditions of the supply contract gives them an opportunity to make a reasonable margin,” the group said.

These supply contracts, according to the IBLA, should include the type and number of lambs to be supplied; the date range for lambs available for slaughter; and the minimum agreed price that would be paid, with provisions for price increases linked to both national and international prices.

The IBLA’s national committee has recommended that its members be asked if they would support protest action at one or more meat factories until such a time that supply contracts are offered to farmers for lambs.

IBLA members will also be asked when protests should take place, and at how many processing facilities protests should be held.

The group said that any protest would be peaceful and would keep within the law, and that factory gates would not be blockaded.