Minister speaks to farm organisation leaders on beef impasse

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed has spoken with the main farm organisations with a view to breaking the current impasse between factories and protesting farmers, it has been revealed.

A Government source informed AgriLand that the minister has again today, Friday, August 30, spoken with the leaders of all the main farm organisations.

The Minister for Agriculture spoke with a view to assembling a joint appeal to meat processors and to protesters who are continuing activities at meat processing plants across the country.

According to the source, it is hoped that a direct appeal from farmers to protesters to consider the potential implications of their actions on themselves, fellow farmers and the sector as a whole at this critical time – notwithstanding the extremely difficult circumstances they may be experiencing individually – may prove beneficial in terms of re-establishing round-table dialogue and lead to the withdrawal of legal proceedings by processors.

Beef processors were in the High Court earlier today regarding injunctions made against individual named protesters which were granted earlier this week.

This afternoon, farmers named in an injunction secured by Dawn Meats have consented to abide by permanent injunctions granted today.

According to the meat processor, “permanent injunction extends to all unnamed persons engaging in the illegal blockades and intimidation at all Dawn Meats facilities”.