Poultry farmers are to continue their protest at Lidl stores in Cavan and Monaghan through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

"We will be here until the morning and every week if we can't get an extra 2c for our eggs and 15c for our chickens," a Cavan broiler farmer said on Tuesday evening at the protest outside Lidl in Cavan.

The common issue cited by the farmers is that the cost price squeeze they find themselves in is causing major concerns.

"Selling a 1.9kg chicken for €3.49 is grossly irresponsible and has the potential to lead to a price war that producers will ultimately

pay for,” Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) poultry chair Andy Boylan has said.

“This race to the bottom will have significant consequences for producers. Unless we have robust regulation of retailers, we will see

more and more farmers going to the wall.”

Good response

IFA poultry vice-chair Brendan Soden said that there has been a good response from farmers at the protest so far.

The egg producer from outside Stradone, Co Cavan, said: "Farmers are very concerned about their future and they have had enough."

A free-range broiler farmer from the Ballieborough area in Co Cavan said at the protest that only that his two sons are working with him he would be in trouble.

"I am lucky we are a family-run business and I have my two sons to help out.

"The cost of meal, electricity and services on the broiler unit have all increased and I am very concerned.

"The cost of meal has risen by at least one third and this is a very heavy burden considering when a barrel of oil goes up, the next week you pay an extra 5c at the pumps without question," he said.

The farmer argued that this should be the same case for the farmer when their input costs rise.