Current blockades are putting thousands of Irish jobs at risk and are disrupting exports to existing customers, said Meat Industry Ireland (MII) senior director Cormac Healy.

Healy was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland following the imposition of High Court injunctions on protesting farmers. He said: “The actions taken yesterday were inevitable. Hopefully the authorities will put the injunctions into action today.”

Further talks

Healy said MII is open to talks with farm organisations but will not engage in any discussions while protests remain in place. The MII boss said current protests are causing certain factories to be temporarily shut down.

He said: “These illegal blockading activities are threatening our ability to win new markets in countries such as China. We need to give injunctions a chance and hope farmers will see sense.”

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Illegal blockades put thousands of jobs at risk – MII

The meat industry boss said the blockades threaten jobs, markets and livelihoods.