Senior executives from the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and Dairygold management are set to meet within the next 10 days to discuss the proposed closure of Dairygold operations in Mitchelstown and Roscrea.
This follows a meeting in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, yesterday, of more than 150 pig producers from all over the State.
IFA president Mr John Dillon called on the producers "to exhaust all diplomacy" before embarking on a radical course of action.
There was heated criticism of Dairygold chief executive Mr Jerry Henchy by pig farmers, who face rising transport costs if they are forced to transfer pigs for slaughter to plants elsewhere if the Mitchelstown plant is closed on October 31st as proposed.
Afterwards, a spokesman for Mr Henchy said: "Mr Henchy is there to run the business successfully, and to cut out under-performance. It is clear the Mitchelstown plant is not of the scale required and is no longer competitive," the spokesman said.
Several farmers mooted the possibility of boycotting Dairygold's milling operation, if the slaughtering plant is not kept open. There was also a claim that Mr Henchy had "brainwashed" members of the company's board.
However, Mr Dillon's intervention towards the end of the meeting prompted the decision to seek an early meeting with Dairygold.
"There is no fire in this meeting today. This wouldn't shake Jerry Henchy," said Mr Dillon, who said he was sceptical of taking radical decisions without knowing if everyone was motivated to carry them through.
"I saw it on a roads issue in a county in this country, where there were 70 people when I met them, all going to stand together. In the end, there was only four standing together," he said, adding that he didn't see much sign in the meeting of people interested in "guerrilla warfare".
One speaker claimed Mr Henchy had stated categorically that Dairygold was not importing pig products but that he (the speaker) had evidence that it was.
The spokesman for Mr Henchy later denied that Mr Henchy had ever given this assurance and, in fact, confirmed that imported products were needed when Irish supply dwindled.
Another speaker said Dairygold wished to use the controlling hall now being vacated in Mitchelstown to "pack it up with foreign" meat products. The Dairygold spokesman denied this and said the hall was required for "consumer foods activity" and, therefore, slaughtering could not be carried on in the same plant.
Dairygold executive Mr John Cunningham represented the company at the meeting. He said Dairygold would work with farmers to ensure they had alternative arrangements to transport their pigs to other plants.
Glanbia executive Mr John Madden told the meeting that Glanbia was planning an immediate expansion of its facilities at Roscrea. It had planned to expand its Edenderry operation but, because of the proposed Dairygold closure, it made economic sense to focus on its Roscrea plant.
IFA vice-president Mr Rory Deasy was highly critical of the Dairygold board and called for "lateral thinking" to solve the problem.
