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The people who remain on picket lines are prepared to gamble their liberty, according to Beef Plan Movement co-chair Hugh Doyle.
Doyle, who spoke at a protester meeting on Sunday night in Ballyjamesduff, said they [protesters] were at factory gates with injunctions hanging over their heads and were prepared to go to jail.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Doyle said he was recommending farmers accept the deal, but was understanding of those who chose not to.
“The unfortunate thing with farmers at the moment and people need to realise is they feel abandoned.
"They feel that a lot of what we’re bringing back from talks are promises going forward and what they want to see is tangible money.”
Offer
Leaving the beef talks, Doyle said he genuinely thought there was something to offer farmers.
Before speaking to those gathered in Ballyjamesduff, he expected “some sort of positive reaction” but he did not get one.
With much of the deal centring on bonuses, Doyle said it delivered nothing for half of farmers.
“The thing that I hadn’t really copped to a large extent was … nearly 50% of the farmers that were at the meeting last night explained to me that they got nothing.”
What they said to me was until the base price is looked at they’re not moving
He said 50% of the people at the meeting explained that they were not part of the Quality Assurance (QA) scheme and, as a result, did not qualify for the bonus.
Doyle said he presented the deal as a starting point, but that farmers said “it’s the finishing point as far as we’re concerned”.
“What they said to me was until the base price is looked at they’re not moving.”
Independent farmers
Later on the Sean O’Rourke Show, Ger Gough, a spokesperson for the Independent Farmers of Ireland, said it had left it up to farmers at the gates to accept or reject the agreement.
Gough said: “On any picket line, you have to go back and say ‘Lads, is this acceptable or not’.”
Gough said his personal view was that protesters should come off the pickets, but he said the people there day and night would have to make up their own mind.
A major stumbling block he felt was distrust: “They [farmers] cannot trust the factories, they cannot trust Meat Industry Ireland.
"They’re afraid [if] we sign up to a deal today and bang it’s going to be gone tomorrow.”
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