Farmers stage protest over beef prices

CATTLE farmers, led by IFA President John Dillon, mounted a protest against price cuts by the meat factories at the head offices of the country’s largest processor, the Allied Irish Beef Processors (AIBP) group of Goodman Plants, in Ardee, Co Louth yesterday.

Mr Dillon said AIBP factories were leading the downward cattle price charge which had seen 75 per animal cut off prices to farmers over the last seven weeks.

But a spokesman for AIBP said it had always had a policy of paying its suppliers a good and fair price for cattle on the day of slaughter, in an honest, honourable and transparent fashion, a policy which continues to this day.