A number of tractors pulled up outside the Lidl supermarket in the town and protesters also chained supermarket trolleys together, to show their anger and outrage over difficulties in the livestock sector.

Speaking at the event, IFA President Eddie Downey vowed to continue the protests ‘’at a town near you’’ until something is done about the current crisis in the beef and livestock sector. Tom Turley, IFA Connacht Chairman, told the crowd that they have been ‘’forced out once again to try and protect our livelihoods’’. He added ‘’the reason we are here is because we have been robbed blind by the retailers and the processors. They have taken €250m out of our pockets in the last 12 months. We are told that for every €1 we get, it’s worth €4 in the rural economy. These cuts have taken €1bn out of the rural economy.’’

He added that farmers don’t know what profits are being made on beef after cattle leave their farms, ‘’all we know is that we have no profits’’.

IFA President Eddie Downey said farmers feel betrayed by the unacceptable behaviour and lack of corporate responsibility on the part of the powerful retailers and meat factories to their farmer suppliers. He warned all of the major retailers including SuperValu, Dunnes, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl, and the factories, that the anger and frustration of farmers is at boiling point and the unjustified price and specification cuts, which are severely damaging farmers and the Irish beef sector, must be reversed.

IFA’s Livestock Committee Chairman, Henry Burns said that they are going to continue to fight for higher prices and continue the campaign. He said that Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney is starting to take heed of the issues now, and he attributed this to the pressure that farmers are putting on councillors and TDs and he urged the crowd to continue applying pressure.

He said ‘’we were told last spring that beef couldn’t be sold, the beef price in the UK in the supermarkets went up by 7%. The beef price in Ireland is about the same as it was this time last year’’. Mr Burns that the Minister said last week that the beef price has fallen by just 10%, but “he doesn’t realize that when you go in to slaughter cattle in a factory, they can take another heap of money off you because the cattle are overweight, over-age.’’

Tesco meeting

Following yesterday's protest the IFA President Eddie Downey and National Livestock Chairman Henry Burns met with senior executives from Tesco in Dublin today to the discuss the difficulties in the beef sector and branding and labelling issues on cattle exported to Northern Ireland as well as specifications.

After the meeting, Eddie Downey said Tesco outlined to the IFA that they will positively engage and work towards finding a solution regarding the branding and labelling issues on Irish cattle exported to Northern Ireland.

- updated at 16.39.