Farmers have warned they will put up blockades outside supermarket HQs for days in continuing protests over beef prices.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) took their latest demo to the Aldi supermarket distribution centre in Naas, Co Kildare, at 7am on Thursday.
It was due to end at 7pm after 12 hours of refusing to let goods in or out. The row has been ongoing for months, with the price of beef at its lowest in years and with many farmers claiming they are struggling to survive and may be forced out of business without Government intervention.
IFA president Joe Healy led the charge, warning it could be the “first of many blockades” until farmers get a price increase for their meat.
Speaking on RTE Morning Ireland, he said: “The beef price index showed a massive gap of 45 cent between Ireland and the UK.
“A second index out this week showed that gap had widened to 50 cent a kilo to what Irish farmers are getting and what UK farmers are getting.”
He said the IFA took the action after they received no offer from Meat Industry Ireland during a Beef Taskforce meeting held earlier this week.
And the IFA’s national livestock chief Angus Woods said: “If there is not a response from the [meat] processors, we will have to escalate our action.”
Last week, Dublin city centre was brought to a standstill as tractors blocked the streets with protesters demanding to see Agriculture Minister Micheal Creed.
In the latest protest at Aldi, about 30 farmers with two tractors blocked the entrances with huge hay bales.
