IFA call for commission on beef pricing as farming protests enter second week

Tensions are escalating as farming protests all over the country continue into a second week.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is now calling for a commission on beef pricing in a bid to resolve the crisis, which could be set to escalate further.

Today, a man was arrested at a protest outside a meat processing plant in County Cavan, while another protestor was taken from the scene at Liffey Meats in Ballyjamesduff in an ambulance.

There was a prominent garda presence at the plant and there were also reports of incidents at Slaney Meats in Bunclody, County Wexford, where lorries were prevented from accessing the facility.

In Athleague, County Roscommon, a delegation of Chinese inspectors failed to gain access to the Kepak meat plant after a protest outside the facility. The delegation was due to carry out a systems audit as part of an Irish application to export sheepmeat to China, but the audit did not take place.

These incidents followed several others over the weekend.

In Cork, meanwhile, the visit of the Chinese delegation passed almost without incident.

Sources close to the protest say that farmers were happy to stand over an agreement made last week to allow 236 cattle into the plant. They did, however, look to inspect the lorries as they entered the plant in Bandon to ensure that no additional cattle were being brought into the plant.

There was a brief standoff at the protest when one lorry driver attempted to bypass the protestors without allowing the inspection but this was quickly resolved.

Protestors have warned, however, that they have no intention of easing off their presence at the facility. Instead, their message is clear: they are prepared to step up their activity amid concerns that ABP may now seek to ramp up operations to make up for business lost due to the protests.

Joe Healy, IFA president, said that a commission on beef pricing is needed to ease the crisis. He said that the terms of reference would need to be agreed with farmers but that it would need full access to the books of meat processors and be able to establish the true cost of each part of the animal.

“Full transparency on the price along the chain must be an essential element of the investigation,” he said.

Mr Healy said if this was done alongside a price commitment from the factories and an assurance from Minister Creed to put a Brexit support scheme in place for all farmers who sold cattle after May 12, it could provide a basis for a resolution to the current stalemate.