Welsh police arrested a number of farmers early yesterday after a violent protest at Holyhead port over Irish beef exports to Britain. One policeman was seriously injured when farmers attempted to block the passage of Irish lorries from the port. Eighteen other officers were slightly hurt during scuffles in which police were kicked and punched, according to a North Wales Police spokeswoman. Batons, CS gas and dogs were used to disperse about 350 protesters.
The intervention of the police to ensure that Irish lorries were allowed to leave the ferry terminal was welcomed yesterday by the Irish Farmers' Association and the Irish Road Haulage Association.
About 300 protesters also gathered early yesterday at Fishguard port, where six Irish lorries were delayed before being allowed through.
Holyhead and Fishguard were quiet last night and police said that they were not expecting any immediate trouble.
"We don't know whether they're going to come back or, if they are, when. But normally we know a little bit in advance and there's nothing to suggest trouble tonight", said a police spokesman in Holyhead.
No arrests had been made during the Holyhead disturbances early yesterday because of the "sheer numbers involved and the violence shown by the demonstrators", the spokesman said. However, a number of arrests were made last night.
Yesterday's protests ended a period of relative calm which followed the blockades mounted at a number of British ports in late November and early December. While there had been some pickets of supermarket depots in Britain, the Irish trade had continued uninterrupted, a Department of Agriculture spokesman said last night.
He pointed out that Ireland supplied only 10 per cent of Britain's beef requirement and said that there was no question of Ireland dumping cheap meat on the British market, as alleged by protesting farmers.
The UK market was very important to Ireland, which sold 90,000 tonnes of beef to Britain last year. Most of that was premium product, giving it a value of almost £200 million, the spokesman added. The situation was being monitored and top-level representations would again be made to the British government if there was any further disruption of Irish trade.
