Beef farmers were warned yesterday they could damage the beef industry by rendering it uncompetitive if supply to markets was interrupted by protest.
The warning came from the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, at the opening of the National Ploughing Championships in Ballacolla, Co Laois.
It also came as the Irish Farmers' Association threatened to escalate its protest beyond the six AIBP meat plants which closed down on Monday. This followed a 24-hour protest by farmers over the prices they receive for cattle.
Yesterday Mr Walsh defended the farmers' right to protest, but said his one concern was that such protests might disrupt the supply to the markets.
"It would be a great pity if whatever differences exist within the sector are allowed to escalate into action which could disrupt the orderly disposal of cattle and damage our ability to capitalise on a clearly strong UK and EU market," he said.
Asked if he considered it fair that the IFA should single out one company for protest, Mr Walsh said that was a matter for the IFA.
He said his Department was not involved in the issue of price. Its job was to ensure the markets were available and kept open for Irish producers and processors.
The Minister gave an upbeat view of the beef market, saying it had made a good recovery in the EU since the beef crisis in 2000, and consumption was now close to 2000 levels.
Coupled with a substantial reduction in beef and lamb production in the UK because of the foot-and-mouth disease cull, there was increased demand for Irish beef in the British market.
"My only concern about this is that only 25 per cent is going into the retail sector and the remainder is going into the manufacturing area," he said.
He said the lifting of the Russian ban on six Irish counties should lead to an increase in exports there this year as it made an additional 36 per cent of the beef herd available.
While the Egyptian market had been open to Ireland for some time, the combined weakness in the local economy and the strong competition from non-EU suppliers was making it difficult to regain previous levels.
The Minister had asked the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Franz Fischler, to increase export refunds for Egypt as that should help recover a greater share of the market.
Mr Walsh announced plans for a simplification of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) application process.
He said REPS planners would be given the facility to download satellite maps, and this would help speed up applications and eliminate delays and the need to purchase Ordnance Survey maps.
In order to facilitate the new system he had arranged that a payment of €1.3 million be made to the Ordnance Survey for the provision of the relevant mapping data.
More Government help for the farming community was offered by the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, who said farmers who had experienced difficulties with weather should apply for the Farm Assist scheme.
She said 8,500 people were getting the €118.80-per-week payment, which was means-tested. However, for the first time this was being measured on current rather than last year's income.