Factories wary in the wake of protest

In the aftermath of the farmer beef price protest of last week, most factories have been shy to show their hand on the prices being paid to producers for cattle this week and have refrained from quoting.

There is tension in the air between the producers and the factories following the protest which resulted in the benchmark base price of 90p/lb for O grade cattle being reinstated by agents for Kepak at Athleague, which resulted in the lifting of the farmers round the clock protest at the plant on Friday.

The rest of the industry waited and watched over the four days of the protest, and with the ‘dogs in the street’ knowing that the factories were anxious to drop the O grade price under 90p/lb, must have greeted the outcome with disappointment. It would be foolhardy confidence for the producers to think, even for a moment, that the price issue has been resolved, and the unusually quiet tone of the industry this week, is merely a time for stopping and pondering on the next move.