Irish Sugar Ltd and its employees have been "brought to their knees" and 200 temporary employees have received notice as a result of the continuing dispute with beet growers over payments for beet deliveries, the High Court was told yesterday.
The company claims the dispute is being "orchestrated" by the Irish Farmers' Association.
Mr Justice Smyth continued until Monday an interim injunction granted to the company last Friday which restrains the IFA taking steps which could lead to farmers withdrawing supplies of sugar beet from the company or which could "intimidate and/or persuade" growers not to supply the beet to Irish Sugar.
Last Friday's hearing was told the company's plant at Carlow had been forced to shut down while production at the Mallow plant was to cease from last Tuesday. Yesterday, Mr Richard Nesbitt, for the IFA, said his clients opposed the continuation of the injunction and were claiming that Irish Sugar's action was misconceived. Mr Nesbitt said the court orders prohibited the IFA doing certain things. It could not communicate, in its capacity as the growers' representative, what was happening in relation to such negotiations "as there are". In those circumstances Irish Sugar's action was misconceived. His client's affidavits made it clear everybody at the factory gate was an individual grower and those attending were voicing their own views.
Mr Justice Smyth said he would continue the interim injunction until Monday next when Irish Sugar will apply for an interlocutory order.