A man sustained “serious leg injuries” at the Beef Plan Movement protest at Dawn Meats in Slane, Co Meath, at around 6.30am on Friday morning, a Garda spokesperson has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.

“A male pedestrian received serious leg injuries when he was struck by a truck. He was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda. Investigations are ongoing,” the spokesperson said.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the man was speaking to another farmer at the window of a stationary jeep when he was struck.

Suspended

Eamon Corley, co-chair of the Beef Plan Movement, told the Irish Farmers Journal that as a result of the incident, the protest at the beef factory has been “suspended as a mark of respect to the man”.

“For the life of us we can’t understand why these people are so aggressive when we’re having this peaceful protest.

“We are having a peaceful protest and there has been quite a few hauliers driving aggressively against us,” he said.

Corley said that many of the hauliers are coming from the south, Cork and Kilkenny and also Donegal. “Not many local farmers are passing the picket,” he said.

Nationwide

Farmers resumed their picket at ABP Nenagh on Thursday after it was temporarily suspended on Wednesday. Kildare Beef Plan chair Carmel Lawlor told the Irish Farmers Journal that the protest was suspended for the weekend.

"People have work to do and we have to be able to give people time to get work done. We'll be back there on Monday evening," she said.

A new protest began at Liffey Meats, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan, on Wednesday evening, in addition to the 14 factories where Beef Plan Movement protests began on Monday. They were ABP Cahir, ABP Nenagh, ABP Bandon, ABP Rathkeale, Kepak Kilbeggan, Kepak Athleague, Liffey Meats Hackettstown, Liffey Meats Ballinasloe, Dawn Meats Rathdowney, Dawn Meats Grannagh, Dawn Meats Ballyhaunis, Dawn Meats Slane, Kildare Chilling and Slaney Foods.

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