Over 150 workers employed in a meat plant in south Co. Kilkenny have been purportedly laid off temporarily amid the continuing Beef Plan protests, according to reports.
The workers at Dawn Meats, in Grannagh, near the Kilkenny/Waterford border, were apparently issued letters by management this evening, Wednesday, August 7, to inform them that temporary layoffs have had to be considered by the firm, according to RTÉ News.
RTÉ goes on to note an industry source view that the issue of temporary layoffs “has to be examined by meat factories as the protests continue”.
The move comes amid ongoing protests outside approximately 20 meat factories around the country by farmers, organised by the Beef Plan Movement.
Cattle kill down almost 17% last week
Meanwhile, earlier today, it was revealed that the cattle kill for the week commencing on Monday, July 29, was back by 16.83% when compared to the previous week’s kill.
The number of cattle presented for processing dipped by 5,898 head last week when compared to the week commencing on Monday, July 22.
This brings the total number of cattle presented for processing in Department of Agriculture approved slaughtering plants this year, as of the end of last week, to 1,072,727 head.