It has been outlined that Glanbia “must make a significant move on grain price” in order to end the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA’s) protests at its feed mills in Portlaoise and Clonroche.
Commenting on the IFA Grain Committee’s protest which began on Monday, October 7, the IFA’s president, Joe Healy, said: “Farmers are angry at the base price set by Glanbia this year.
They are demanding that Glanbia revisit this and make a significant move to improve the price.
Farmers have been protesting at the plant in Portlaoise since last Friday night, October 4, and at Clonroche in Wexford since Saturday morning, October 5.
Grain chairman
Also commenting on the ongoing protests, the IFA’s national grain chairman, Mark Browne, said: “We met Glanbia last week and were very disappointed with the poor response.
We had a further meeting on Saturday, and while it was a constructive meeting, no offer was put on the table.
“We are in ongoing dialogue with Glanbia, but the protest will continue. The price put forward by Glanbia is simply not good enough,” he said.
Glanbia response
Reacting to the current IFA protests at Glanbia-owned mills in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, and Clonroche, Co. Wexford, which are ongoing, a spokesperson for Glanbia Ireland (GI) said: “The recently announced prices were set by the board of GI and the Glanbia Co-operative Society in consultation with the grain sub-committee, which is made up of tillage farmers.
GI has met with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in relation to grain in recent days and will continue to meet with them.
The representative said that: “GI is majority owned by our farmer members and we work to provide farmers with the facility to forward sell their grain, with the average forward sell price for green barley standing at €152/t in the first half of 2019.”
The company will “continue to provide the opportunity for farmers to sell it forward and have extended our Farmers Own Stock scheme in order to facilitate additional growers that may wish to participate,” it was added.