The president of the Irish Farmers' Association, Tom Parlon, his deputy, John Dillon, and almost all the other 60 council officers have resigned their positions following a meeting of the Association's council in Portlaoise tonight. The council met to discuss today's High Court ruling, which imposed a daily £500,000 fine on the IFA as long as it failed to lift the nationwide blockade of meat processing plants. So far, fines against the IFA amount to £500,000. The council has now decided to obey the court order and lift the blockade.
Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan told the Court that he had no intention of imprisoning and making a martyr out of some member of the farming community. He said that he will continue imposing fines until it hurts and until the Court order is obeyed. He granted the meat processors an interlocutory injunction against the IFA, ordering its members to lift the pickets on the meat processors. Earlier Mr Justice O'Donovan said there seemed to be no regard for the rule of law among the farming community.
The National Council of the IFA held an emergency meeting in Portlaoise tonight to consider the increased fine. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said he wants to see a very speedy solution to the blockade which has brought the country's beef factories to a virtual standstill. Mr Ahern said that the Cabinet would discuss the dispute on Wednesday.
Members of the Irish Meat Association tonight agreed not to slaughter cattle for the next 48 hours. They say the move is in the national interest and provides an opportunity for the IFA to lift its blockade. A statement from the IMA said it wanted to continue in constructive dialogue with the IFA through discussions at the Department of Agriculture.
The penalties imposed by the courts are grossly out of proportion to the problem, according to Fine Gael’s Alan Dukes. Speaking at a constituency meeting, he said that it is impossible to understand the justification of fines of £500,000 a day for the present action when, in recent years, strike action has paralysed public transport and other services without any such penalties being imposed.
The Court action between meat processors and the IFA was adjourned earlier to allow talks take place between the two sides. In the Court today, counsel for the beef processors told the Judge that his clients had lifted the charge which sparked the original protest but that the blockade still remained in place. Counsel for the IFA said that, by seeking increased penalties on his clients while negotiations were taking place, the processors were placing an each way bet on the outcome.
Talks aimed at settling the dispute nationally are due to resume tomorrow having adjourned without agreement last night. The Minister for Agriculture, Joe Walsh, who is chairing the negotiations, said that the gap between both sides over increasing cattle prices has narrowed. But, no figure has been put on a possible increase. The meat inspection charge which led to the demonstrations is now off the agenda, according to the Minister for Agriculture. But, the gap between the meat factories and the farmers over cattle prices remains, with the IFA demanding an increase of £50 a head. Tom McAndrew of the processors' association complained that the blockade is continuing to damage their business. But, IFA President Tom Parlon was disappointed further progress was not made during the talks and said that the IFA blockade would continue.
Earlier today the IFA lifted its blockade of a meat processing plant in Tralee in County Kerry after management there agreed to increase beef payments to farmers. It is understood that the factory management are not members of the Irish Meat Processors' Association.
Three farmers were injured, one of them seriously, in a collision between a car and a bread van outside the Kepak boning plant in Ballymahon in County Longford. The collision happened at the factory gates where the farmers were picketing. Each of the farmers has been admitted to hospital.
