All parties in the beef standoff must listen

The lifting of the injunctions against two people who had been protesting at the C&D pet food factory in Co Longford will, hopefully, allow commonsense to prevail in the ongoing beef prices dispute. Most importantly, it now gives an opportunity for the beef market taskforce, which was established in September, to convene without the threat of either further legal action by processors or more blockades by farmers. We have had more than enough of both.

Two men, Fine Gael Cllr Paraic Brady and Colm Leonard, a local carpenter, had been the subject of the injunctions and all of the main farm organisations involved in setting up the taskforce had refused to attend a meeting of the new group until the injunctions were lifted. The company had also threatened to sue the men for damages, as a result of losses incurred during the blockade.