A protest at the offices at Bord Bia will continue until farmers find a satisfactory resolution to their dispute over Larry Murrin, Irish Farmers' Association President Francie Gorman has said.
Farmers want Bord Bia Chair Mr Murrin to resign after it emerged that his business - Dawn Farm Foods - sources some Brazilian beef for its products.
The IFA and dairy-farmer group the ICMSA say this creates a conflict of interest for Mr Murrin, given Bord Bia's role in promoting Irish food.
IFA members have been protesting at Bord Bia's Dublin 4 office over the issue since 26 January, and some members have been holding a sit-in protest since 3 February.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Brock, Mr Gorman said that he thinks everyone is uncomfortable with the current situation and the IFA will be engaging in talks with stakeholders on Friday.
"Protest is the last option for us in IFA, and when we do protest, we protest in a responsible manner," he said.
Mr Gorman said the IFA had wanted the issues to be dealt with by Bord Bia in a proper manner, at board level.
"When I raised it at board level, it wasn't dealt with by the chairman stepping down and doing the right thing," Mr Gorman said. "The protest happened because our issues were not addressed."
He said a decision to enter the Bord Bia reception area was not taken lightly and that the IFA has "looked for dialogue all along".
"The confidence that farmers have in Bord Bia is absolutely essential for the board to be able to work properly.
"And what we were trying to do, what I was trying to do, was maintain that confidence by raising it around the table at the board."
Protest now counterproductive - Cowen
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen said that the protest has reached the point where it is becoming counterproductive.
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Cowen said he understands the strength of feeling among farmers but that the dispute is not serving their best interests.
He said that these interests are best protected through serious negotiation in Dublin and Brussels and not "through outrage cycles".
"Policy is too important to become a political football."
Mr Cowen said the sourcing of the beef in question was "legal, regulated and extremely limited".
"I'm concerned this has morphed into a personalised campaign targeting one man and one company and does nothing to advance farmers interests," he added.
