The protesters at Dawn Meats beef processing facility in Slane, Co. Meath, have decided this evening, Wednesday, September 18, that it is in the best interests of the beef industry to stand down their peaceful protest.

According to a statement from the protesters, “this is hopefully the first step in the ratification of the agreement set out on Sunday, September 15”.

“While the agreement did not provide all the answers required, it is the first step on a root and branch overhaul of the Irish beef industry.

The peaceful protesters in Slane hope this will be regarded as a positive step as opposed to a negative by the men and women at other factory gates that are also involved in this dispute.

“It is hoped that the farmers throughout the country will view this deal through similar eyes as those in Slane and see that – although there are areas that are lacking – it is a solid foundation that can lead to positive changes.

“Our faith now lies with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, and the even-handed behaviour of the taskforce proposed in Sunday’s agreement.

Great steps have been made in the last week and it is hoped that the Irish beef industry will be a fairer and more equitable place to operate in during the next 12 months.

“There is much work still to be done but it appears to us that the peaceful pickets have achieved all they can and it is now time to enter the next stage of this process.”

Concluding, the statement said: “Our energy now needs to be focused on dialog and mutual advancement – not aggression and division.”