Glanbia to issue protective notices to 27 staff following IFA picket

GLANBIA announced last night it had no other option but to issue protective notices to its 27 production employees at two grain mills in Laois and Wexford.

It said this arose from the picketing actions being taken by the Irish Farmers’ Association at each plant.

Glanbia said it regretted this development in relation to the 11 employees in Portlaoise and the 16 in Clonroche. It also said it understands the hardship involved for the employees, who through no fault of their own may be without work from next Monday.

Farmers continued to protest outside both mills yesterday over the price they are being paid for grain.

The protest, which began on Thursday morning, continued through the night at the two plants in Portlaoise and Clonroche.

Talks between the Irish Farmers’ Association and the company collapsed without agreement and the farmers are vowing to maintain the blockades until a fair deal is negotiated.

IFA Grain Committee chairman Colum McDonnell said farmers are losing up to €50 for every tonne of grain produced this harvest.

“To add insult to injury, Glanbia, the largest buyer of grain in the country, is offering the lowest price to growers with its derisory €85/t for spring feed barley,” he said.

Mr McDonnell said hard-pressed Glanbia grain suppliers facing bankruptcy are outraged over management’s refusal to pay the market rate of at least €95 per tonne.

He said Glanbia’s position of paying the lowest price in the country for grain was indefensible.

A Glanbia spokesperson said the company set its grain price on September 10 last and at the time said these prices were subject to a market-based review.

“Since then the market has disimproved further. Therefore, in this context our price is competitive and compares favourably to other comparable buyers. The IFA protests at our mills are counterproductive,” the spokesman said.