Angry beef farmers who yesterday occupied a meat-distribution plant at Naas, Co Kildare, withdrew last night following discussions with management.
They had occupied the top of the building for seven hours in a protest over the sale of Brazilian beef in Ireland.
Gardaí were called to the Dawn Farm Foods complex last night as a section of the 300 protesters who broke away from the main protest delayed lorries carrying product in and out of the site by walking in front of them.
There was a stand-off between some lorry drivers and farmers who demanded to know what they were carrying and if they knew their actions were harmful to Irish farmers.
Irish Farmers' Association president John Dillon defused this secondary protest. He became involved in heated arguments with his members who wanted to shut down the facility completely.
Gardaí who had been monitoring the protest called in reinforcements and cleared the road for the container lorries that were taking product in and out of the Queally/Dawn-controlled premises known as QK Meats.
The protest began good-humouredly enough when, carrying €2,000 worth of Brazilian beef purchased under a false name, the protesters, supported by five tractors, entered the two-storey block at the Naas industrial park.
There were heated exchanges between management and the protesters who occupied the top part of the premises from which they displayed banners protesting at Brazilian imports, which had increased by 60 per cent to 30,000 tonnes last year.
As some protesters hauled boxes of Brazilian steak up the company flag pole, Mr Dillon accused meat factories and processors trading in Brazilian beef of "stabbing Irish livestock farmers in the back".
Senior QK staff said they would meet protesters only if they left the premises. About 50 protesters refused to leave, even when asked to do so by Mr Dillon.
He said the Queally Group and other meat plants had dropped the price of Irish cattle by €150 a head since June, leaving 50,000 farmers in a loss-making situation. A farmer with 80 cattle could lose as much as €12,000 this year.
He added that British supermarkets and Irish meat factory suppliers were using double standards because there were serious question marks over the way and methods used in producing Brazilian beef relating to traceability, movement controls and health and hygiene.
A company statement last evening said the offices had been unlawfully occupied by Mr Dillon and other officers and members of the IFA causing disruption to company business.
"It appears that this disruption to business was a publicity ploy by the IFA," said the statement.