The protest outside the gates of ABP Nenagh has been suspended, following agreement between farmers at the gates on Thursday night.

A statement from the farmers at the gate said their representatives in recent talks were attempting to negotiate while the threat of legal injunctions lay at their doorstep.

The protest has been suspended to allow further negotiations to take place and let farmers send cattle to the factory.

The protest is suspended, pending how prices fare over the coming few weeks, a spokesperson for the farmers on the gate told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Humble farmer

“Now we discover that legal threats have been escalated against one of the founding members of Beef Plan.

"This is an unacceptable display of power to bring the full weight of the law down on top of the humble farmer.

“We are being driven off the land that our ancestors cultivated, and now we are being driven off a peaceful protest by corporate greed and high court injunctions,” it said.

It is the latest protest to be suspended and follows on from ABP Ferrybank, Co Waterford; Dawn Meats Slane, Co Meath; and Slaney Foods, Co Wexford.

Lay-offs

On Thursday, ABP announced 100 further temporary staff lay-offs at its Cahir plant in Co Tipperary, citing a continuing blockade outside the factory as the reason.

In total, 455 people have been laid off by the factory this week.

Read more

ABP announces further factory lay-offs

Over €2m worth of beef unable to leave factory – Dawn Meats