Minister outlines who told him about death threats against C&D foods bosses

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has told the Dáil that he was told about death threats to managers at C&D foods during a meeting with meat industry representatives.

On Tuesday, Mr Creed faced angry calls to withdraw comments that protesting farmers had made threats against management figures at the Longford company.

However, in the Dáil today, refusing to back down, Mr Creed set out where the information was given.

“I attended a meeting, in the presence of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, with representatives from Meat Industry Ireland (MII) where the issue regarding threats directed at management in C&D Foods was raised directly with us. The nature of those threats is as I outlined in the Dáil,” he said.

“The details of those against whom those threats were made were given to my Department and that information was conveyed to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan,” he said.

“He spoke to the individual concerned and confirmed those were the facts of the case,” Mr Creed said.

I state clearly that I have never made the connection or allegation that it is, in any way, those who protested or were injuncted that were involved.

“Those threats are, however, a further complication. We are trying to move to a situation where we get all of the parties around the table. There are problems and those are well known concerning what happened and we are trying to find a solution,” the minister told the Dáil.

Mr Creed made his comments in response to questions from Sinn Féin's agriculture spokesman Brian Stanley.

Mr Stanley said there is no record from the gardaí or anyone else that this has actually happened.

Mr Stanley called on Mr Creed to ask C&D foods to lift injunctions against two farmers engaged in protests this year.

“I accept the progress made. I ask the Minister, however, to contact C&D Food about having those injunctions lifted to try and improve the atmosphere.

The Minister has acknowledged that there is a bad atmosphere at the moment and that needs to improve so that we can get people back around the table talking. We want to see that happen.

"It is important, therefore, that the task force meets in plenary session and that issue is dealt with.

"I hope Fianna Fáil, and everybody in the House, will support the lifting of the injunctions. I hope as well that the Minster will pick up the phone today and talk to C&D about this issue. It would be really helpful,” he said.

Facing questions as to when beef task force would meet, in light of the protests outside the Dáil, Mr Creed said the inaugural beef task force meeting scheduled for October 14 was “prevented from proceeding”.

“However, the independent chair and my Department have continued to engage proactively with task force members with a view to both progressing the implementation of the provisions of the agreement. My Department and its agencies continue to progress the commitments signed up to under the agreement,” he said.

Mr Creed, answering a question from Labour's Willie Penrose, addressed what he called the “toxic nature of the relationship between the processors and the primary producers”.

“I had hoped that the establishment of the beef market task force, arising from all the events we can recall during the summer of discontent, would mark a new departure. That is because, in the long term, it is not sustainable to have an industry survive and prosper without good relationships between the primary producers and the processors,” he said.