The Irish Farmers' Association under its new president, Mr John Dillon, looks set to clash again with the meat factories over the prices farmers are being paid for their cattle.
Prices for cattle have dropped by over 10 per cent over the past 10 days despite a shortage of suitable animals for export markets.
The ending of a special EU purchase scheme to take cows out of the system has created further difficulties in the market.
Mr Dillon, who took over the presidency of the IFA in January and who was one of the key leaders in the blockade of beef plants in January 2000, has called a public meeting in the Tullamore Court Hotel, Co Offaly, for Tuesday night next.
He said the IFA would demonstrate that the "recent concerted moves" by the meat factories in pulling prices down was totally unjustified.
He said cattle numbers are scarce and supplies would not increase significantly for months.
In the meantime, he said, farmers who provide beef during the winter months would go out of business.
He said there was an increased demand for Irish product in Britain and on the Continent.
However, a number of the meat plants said last night that demand for beef in Britain had slowed and the IFA was exaggerating the demand from the Continent.
"The truth is that the factories are losing money on the animals they have been killing for the last six weeks and they cannot afford to continue to pay high prices or they will go out of business," said one plant marketing manager.