Fine Gael called for beef processors to take a partnership approach toward Irish beef farmers to prevent the "annual row" between factories and farmers. The call was made yesterday at the National Ploughing Championships.
Mr Enda Kenny, the party leader; Mr Billy Timmins, the party spokesman on agriculture; and Ms Mairead McGuinness MEP, a member of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, said it was time for unity of purpose rather than disunity.
Ms McGuinness said farmers could not always be wrong and there had been an unhealthy relationship between the farmers and the factories for some time.
She said that in setting market prices, the factories hold the banlance of power, with the farmers virtually being price takers.
"There is an onus of responsibility on the factories to build relationships with their suppliers, but to date they have not done so. It is now time to call in an arbitrator.
"There has been a lot of talk about factories wanting quality cattle, yet when quality cattle have been supplied by farmers, they have not received quality-linked payments," said Ms McGuinness.
Mr Kenny said he believed the Tánaiste, or whoever would take over responsibility for the Department of Trade Enterprise and Employment, should become involved in the issue to ensure that farmers receive fair play.
"If things go on the way they are going, we could see a day when the factories will get no beef to process because people will get out of the business if prices continue to be as bad as they have been," said Mr Kenny.
Mr Billy Timmins TD said he thought farmers were sick and tired of being in dispute with the factories and there had to be a role for the Tánaiste to ensure fair play for farmers.
"A partnership is the only approach. That is the proper way forward and until that happens there will continue to be conflict," he said.
Mr Timmins said his party was also getting involved to help farmers who had not received their single payment for one reason or another. He said there were many of them and they needed help.
Huge queues had built up at the Department of Agriculture stand yesterday, where farmers were being given information on their single payment, which next year will replace all the EU payments farmers receive on an annual basis.
On Monday, farmer protests closed the processing industry down for 24 hours over falling cattle prices.