The threat of a picket by beef farmers on six Goodman-controlled AIBP meat factories from next Sunday night could effectively prevent slaughtering on Monday and could damage the business of AIBP, a statement from the company said last night.
The president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Mr John Dillon, said yesterday morning that he was backing the farmer protest, which is due to begin on Sunday evening at the AIBP plants in Nenagh, Cahir, Bandon, Waterford, Rathkeale and Clones.
Last night, the Irish Meat Association attacked the selective protest action as "very misguided" and accused the IFA of organising it.
The chief executive of the IMA, Mr John Smith, said that if the protest went ahead it could do lasting damage to the Irish meat companies, which were trying to regain their position in commercial beef markets within and outside the EU.
Mr Smith said that there had been a 30 per cent increase in commercial cattle slaughterings this year and the prices being paid to farmers had been consistently higher than last year's.
Beef farmers are claiming that over the past 10 weeks the price they have been receiving has fallen by 25 cents per kilo, or €84 a head, at a time when beef markets seem to be recovering.
The statement from AIBP said that it totally rejected any suggestion that it does not pay a fair price for cattle, as had been suggested by the president of the IFA in the Irish Farmers' Journal, The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner and on RTÉ yesterday.
"At a meeting between the IFA and AIBP management in Ardee, Co Louth, some weeks ago, it was clearly demonstrated that AIBP was paying some of the highest prices in the industry," the statement said. "In many cases, it paid the highest price across the various grades of steers, heifers and cows.
"AIBP wishes to state that it always paid, and will continue to pay, a fair market price to its farmer-suppliers. This has been company policy for more than 40 years."
The statement concluded: "The threat of a picket at the six AIBP plants could effectively prevent slaughtering on Monday next, September 23rd, and could damage the business of AIBP."