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THE OWNERS OF up to a dozen meat plants have today been granted temporary High Court injunctions restraining groups of protesters from blockading their factories and intimidating staff and suppliers.
Lyndon MacCann SC, counsel for Dawn Meats and Brian O’Moore SC, for Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) told Mr Justice Senan Allen that the actions of threatening and abusive protestors could jeopardise a multi-million euro meat deal with China.
MacCann, who appeared with barrister Stephen Walsh, and O’Moore, who appeared with Eoghan Casey BL, told the court that a Chinese delegation was due to visit the meat factories in the next few days to carry out inspections of processing and hygiene with a view to increasing exports to the Chinese market.
They said the potential new deal with China had taken years to set up and, if cancelled because of the actions of protesters, could take several more years of negotiation to put it back in place if at all.
Judge Allen was told that a peace agreement hammered out with the help of the Minister of Agriculture had broken down at two of the main meat plants of both Dawn and ABP and was expected to spread to other plants if not restrained by the court.
He heard that both companies were seeking temporary injunctions restraining a number of named protesters, and anyone with knowledge of the making of the court’s orders, from continuing their blockade.
‘Unlawfully denied access’
MacCann, instructed by Arthur Cox Solicitors, said Dawn Meats was a sheep and cattle processing business processing 300,000 tonnes of meat annually, operating several sites in Ireland and the UK and employing over 7,000 people in 12 countries and exports to over 50 countries.
He said trucks delivering carcasses and animals had either unlawfully been denied access or were significantly delayed in making deliveries.
The court heard that the chief concern of the protesters was the fall in the price of Irish beef due to market forces related to Brexit and an increased supply of beef in Europe. They were attempting to force the beef processors to pay higher prices to farmers for their cattle.
MacCann said Dawn Meats had no objection to anyone exercising their right to protest peacefully and in accordance with law but Dawn was suffering a daily loss of turnover of €1.5 million. Many farmers willing to supply the meat plants were being prevented from doing so.
O’Moore, who was instructed by A&L Goodbody Solicitors, said that a particular worrying aspect of the blockades was the intimidation and abuse being hurled at suppliers and staff and even Government inspectors.
“Some hauliers have been advised not to return and one was told his company would be burned out if he did return,” O’Moore said.
Judge Allen said he was satisfied on the evidence placed before the court in sworn affidavits to restrain the named protesters, or anyone acting in concert with them, from impeding, instructing, hindering or in any way interfering directly or indirectly with access to or egress from all of the two meat companies plants.
The court’s orders in the case of Dawn Meats apply to premises at Grannagh, Co Waterford; Meadow Meats, Rathdowney, County Laois; Hazel Hill, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo; Ardnageehy, Charleville, Co Cork and Greenhills, Beauparc, Slane, Co Meath.
The ABP plants covered by the court’s restraints are APB premises at Bandon, Co Cork; Nenagh, Co Tipperary; Rathkeale, Co Limerick; Cahir, Co Tipperary; Clones, Co Monaghan and at Ferrybank, Co Waterford.
The proceedings, which were heard in the absence of the defendants, was adjourned until Friday.
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If Ireland exports 90% of beef why are all co2 emissions attributed to Ireland, nonsense they should go to the tonneage per export country who need this product. Idem Nickel mines Russia, Bannanas Brazil, Olives Italy, Cars Germany, Tomatoes Spain. Bad rep for our industry and false maths. Different parts of the world are suited to different things based on geology and climate. And why is carbon sequestration (absorbtion) from our pastures not taken into account in Ireland to determine net emissions like it is in other countries..
@Damian Moylan: the real issue for Ireland is that beef is almost over.
@Damian Moylan: essentially your arguments are:
“We can’t help it if other people want to buy our product. You should prosecute the end user”
“Look at all the coal mines over there”
“Anyway, it turns out that this is what we’re good at. So you should let us keep doing it”
“Environment? We’ll sort it out later”
@James Brady: no, very few countries can produce beef in an environmentally friendly manner and the maths are wrong on emissions. Do you use a smart phone? Who makes that? Do you drive an electric car so who produces the lithium for the battery and who makes the car and what emissions are involved also in powering the car? Until we get to demand lead emissions the maths are false.
@Mike Rugby Nuts: Stopping importing Brazilian beef then and buy Irish. Support the farmers.
@Damian Moylan: If emmissions numbers are based on consumption that’s fine, until that we are faced with false figures.
@Mike Rugby Nuts: Hi Mike, i don’t think it’s over because we produce beef in the most environmentally manner possible because our geology and climate are ideally suited to that. Think olives Italy etc.
@Damian Moylan: Think about cattle around the world in the Usa and South America locked in slatted sheds with no sunlight being fed growth hormone. An unacceptable state of affairs imho, reprehensible from an animal welfare and environmental point of view.
@Lionheart1:
Still a problem! Abattoir capacity is very limited in Ireland so a local specialist meat retailer is squeezed every-way: supermarket competition and further on margin as he must Q up for Ab service, and then pay dear. And with all of the market manipulation going on by the big boys in Processing and Retail the odds are stacked against the little guy in chain culminating with the farmer.
Beef Product innovation / increased on-the-hoof exports to say MENA would go some way towards better prices, but exiting the sector altogether and putting land into forestry is increasingly becoming the sane alternative for many small-scale primary producers.
@Rory J Leonard: I can agree with all of that but how about building more abattoirs?You couldn’t plant trees where I live the wind would wipe them out. The farmers here have between 6 to 20 animals and all have 2nd jobs,that’s just the way it is but they should get more than they get for the work they put in. If you don’t want top quality beef then fine let them go to the wall.
EU and govt have more or less put a nail in the coffin for beef farmers in Ireland. Turned their backs on them while they struggle to get a decent price for their work and make deals to import cheap, inferior beef.
@Kath Noonan: So if a plumber isn’t getting paid what he wants for his work can he just demand the government gets him more. Can we all do that?
@Darren Byrne: if all the people of the country got together n decided they would only pay plumbers a fraction of his price, what would plumbers do then?
@Kath Noonan: Wrong, consumerism has. Beef consumption is down, chicken up. If you want to support the farmers buy from your local butcher and not the supermarkets.
@Sharon Brennan: Great post btw
@Darren Byrne: no Darren the plumber can price different jobs and reject jobs or accept jobs so he has options he can work for different company’s also. With the beef farmer there is no options he gets his cattle ready the goes to the factory with them and he is paid has no say in price given to him.
@John Jordan: So in your world an artist paints a picture shows up at a gallery, can demand a price they want and then get the government to step in to get it for them. Even if the government set a minimum price by the law they’d be worse off because foreign markets would just not by the 95% of production that they’re buying now
@Darren Byrne: they’re not asking government to get them more they are picketing the factories to force an increase in price. Government only got involved when plants ground to a halt and big business men demanded that these pickets be broken rather than them share the money around. Now we have the courts being used in the same way. If you can afford it then the law and government will side with you. I saw some of these protests and in the main they were peaceful and good natured. I’m sure there were flash points but I saw none
@Darren Byrne: Well if a plumber isn’t getting paid what he wants, why did he agree to do the job for the agreed price? Farmers don’t have that luxury, they don’t dictate the price they get paid for their cattle, the meat plants decide that.
@Darren Byrne: are pictures nice? I’ve never tasted one.
@Sharon Brennan: plumbers are unionised and the reason their pay is so good is only because they demanded it. So yes, plumbers have asked for higher pay and got it and they could do it again if there was another boom.
The only way farmers can protest now is to close down the capital, the ports and the motor ways, expect serious disruption now and thank the courts for siding with big business when you can’t get to work or home to ur family’s
@Ole dan tucker: So you think this crowd of 20000 who are going to cost us 10000 a head each year in emmissions fines can disrupt the lives of over 1 million just so they can get what they want. Do it and I’ll be the first and not the last who will vote for the first party that will slap them with emmissions taxes
@Darren Byrne: not saying it’s right or wrong just telling u it’s coming, they have the means to do it, it crates an impact and the courts closed all other doors available to them
@Ole dan tucker: there is another very simple avenue, do not sell to them at the low price but the fact is if they do that customers would have to pay more but they won’t. They’ll just buy less.
@Darren Byrne: yes but they can’t keep the animals for ever without selling they cost money to keep every day and they have to sell at 30 months or the value of the animal decreases substantially and the processors know exactly how many cattle are up to that age and who owns them on any given day, the processors claim there is no demand for beef, yet retail prices are never dropped to try and stimulate demand, why is that do you think is it possible that they have all the power and can continue to squeeze the primary producer? If farmers are to be viable they have to stop the race to the bottom, taxing emissions from the most sustainable producers globally will have a negative overall effect on climate change
@Darren Byrne: good man, vote for them so, let’s see how many seats they would get.
@Darren Byrne: Your knowledge of the facts around the situation are on a par with your spelling.
When Teachers , Bankers , Airline staff , Nurses etc. etc . go on strike why are there no legal injunctions against them ? Seems odd that Farmers are the only targets for this discrimination .
“Threatening and abusive protests by producer could jeopardise multi million deal with China” I suppose that it wouldn’t be good for business if the Chinese learned how the producers were exploited and ripped off by the beef barons!
@John Mc Donagh: You are simple if you think the Chinese care about anyone in Ireland.
@davey boy: I neither said or intimated that the Chinese care about anything in Ireland. I make the point that that none of our greedy meat factories bosses want the level of dissatisfaction and discontent among their producers to be known to their prospective customers.
No one needs that much beef, but Business dictates. Cant see it ending well for beef farmers, under the foot of the big bad international market. Like China give a chit where they get it from. Writings been on the wall for a while.
@thesaltyurchin: Wrong. There are many muslims in the world who dont eat pork.
@Damian Moylan: Muslims might not eat pork but they don’t just eat beef. That’s a daft statement
Farmers are among the worst polluters in the world .. I hate the smell of silages in the morning :)
@Conor V: Then just go and buy a clothes-peg!
@Conor V: are you sure it’s silage you’re smelling?
@Conor V: just a quick question. Do you eat beef or drink milk or eat any dairy products?
@Conor V: what is silage?
@Angela Lavin: silages?
@Conor V: don’t eat it then have cornflakes
All I can say, is having seen it! If the Chinese arrive and see this , they will just turn around and go home! They bring 10s of people with them, the check is everything and this won’t go well for Irish Beef exports to China. They will find our processing is perfect, but seeing this .. they will question the supply chain!
Its naive to think that a Chinese delegation would only be aware of the presence of a picket/protest outside the beef processors gates on the day they arrive.
The Commercial Attache and various Embassy officials will have been monitoring recent developments and reporting back to China.
It makes for an impressive and pressing scare story to prevent the pickets but the reality is the Chinese already know about the protests.
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