There’s a call for increased bonuses agreed in the beef deal to be paid to farmers immediately.
The IFA President says as the factories re-open this morning they should come forward with a strong base price and pay the new bonuses.
Joe Healy says the Chairman of the new beef market Task Force should also be appointed immediately with the group to meet in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, picketing by beef farmers has now ended right across the country.
The last of the protests came to an end last night at plants in Ballyjamesduff and Ballinasloe. While local farmers agreed on Friday night to call a halt to the remaining blockades at plants in Waterford and South Kilkenny.
It’s after agreement was reached between Meat Industry Ireland and farming organisations over a week ago.
In a statement, the Independent Farmers of Ireland group says “it seems last Sunday’s proposal is on the point of being ratified and hopefully this will be the beginning of a new era for the Irish Beef Industry”.
It adds “although there are still many problems that face the sector it feels it can face them from a different position than the picket lines”.
South Kilkenny farmer Jimmy told KCLR news at the weekend that a newly proposed Taskforce will have the power to oversee all of this noting “There’s a task force in place now, it’s main function is to ensure that anything contained within the agreement is implemented and that is made up of all the farmland organisations, Bord Bia, various branches of the Government an d that’s it, it’s a work in progress, we’re going to continue until things are improved”.
