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Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has said the industry welcomes the opportunity to participate in a new round of talks in an effort to end the current impasse.
The statement has been made in response to a call for talks from Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.
MII said it has a view of returning to the normal business of the beef sector “after weeks of protests and blockades hampered processing".
"If a process of engagement can now be secured by the Minister, MII members will defer further legal proceedings, so that these talks can happen.
“We expect that protest action at the plants will equally be suspended.”
No useful purpose
The organisation believes recent protests “have served no useful purpose but instead severely impacted domestic and international customers of Irish beef, farmers seeking to deliver factory ready cattle for processing, and meat industry employees across the country”.
For these reasons, MII has said factories were forced to take legal action in order to limit the damage being caused to their business.
“Such action was a last resort and not a step that companies wished to take.”
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