The renewed beef protests are now in their 11th day. Some factories have seen very few animals killed for four of the last six weeks, and they are hurting.

Farmers on the gates are aware of this, but are not losing any sleep. One farmer said: “When the gates are closed, the factories go to court because we are inflicting losses on them, and the court takes their side.

“But when the gates are open, the factories are inflicting losses on us, day after day, week after week and no one gives a damn.”

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Sixty-five farmers have now been specified in injunctions

The factories are going to the courts almost daily now. For the farmers on the gates, this casts a long shadow of court action.

Sixty-five farmers have now been specified in injunctions.

Nine protesters at Kepak Rathdowney were simply named as “John Doe” in an injunction granted on Tuesday.

They will be identified by video or photographic evidence should the need arise.

Talks

The only way to break the impasse is through talks. The Independent Farmers of Ireland, the new players, selected three spokespeople on Monday night, democratically elected “on behalf of all beef farmers who seek change”.

That is a bit of an overstatement, given they were elected by delegates from nine of the (according to MII) 17 factory protests, and not all voted, I understand. That’s only half the protests.

There are thousands of farmers who have had no part in the protests who also seek change.

This is not to say that this new voice should not be heard. Of course it should.

But the reality is that no solution is achievable without the Beef Plan Movement, which started this whole cycle of protests back in late July, the IFA and ICSA (at the very least) all being involved.

That is how Beef Plan negotiators described it, setting in chain a reaction leading other farmers to the gates

As for the platform, the Independent Farmers’ demands are similar to those of Beef Plan, with the added element of the removal of injunctions and the threat of costs or damages.

What will they discuss? The last talks may have left grounds for a launch point for a second process.

With two weeks’ hindsight, the admittedly small gains achieved can neither be regarded as “failure”.

That is how Beef Plan negotiators described it, setting in chain a reaction leading other farmers to the gates.

Those gains could also be looked on as the first small steps on the long journey to equity.

The conflict needs a resolution. If it lumbers for another two weeks we are in uncharted territory.