Hundreds of beet producers have today mounted pickets at the Greencore beet-processing factories in Mallow, Co Cork and Carlow in protest over crop prices.
Organised by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), the pickets follow yesterday’s decision by 3,800 specialist beet farmers who grow the crop for Greencore/Irish Sugar to withhold all beet supplies until they secure a price increase.
An IFA spokesman told ireland.comthis morning the protests are open-ended and will continue indefinitely.
About 100 farmers have begun picketing at Mallow and at least the same number are expected to protest at the Carlow plant, he said, adding the numbers should increase during the day.
IFA President, Mr Tom Parlon, said growers had been forced to withdraw supplies in light of "negative and fruitless" negotiations with the company - which has a monopoly in the area - over the ten-months.
The IFA said the company had insisted that last year’s prices and bonuses were conditional on producers entering a price-cutting formula for the future.
The farming body said grower’s costs had risen by up to £60 per acre this harvest and that the company wanted to freeze prices at last year’s level of £34.50. The growers are seeking an increase of £4.70 per tonne to cover costs.
In a statement last night, Greencore said it was not seeking to reduce the price paid to farmers this year and had offered the same price as last year.
The company said it was being placed at a commercial disadvantage because of imports from France and other countries.
It said an independent adjudication should be set up to determine the price paid to farmers.