Meat factories in the Republic are expected to be fully operational today following disruption at some plants earlier in the week because of a dispute between some meat plant owners and the Department of Agriculture and Food.
A number of Anglo Irish Beef Processing (AIBP) and Kepak plants refused to accept responsibility for rostering temporary veterinary inspectors since Monday following an agreement between the inspectors' union and the Department last Friday.
The Department of Agriculture, which pays for the veterinary inspection of meat in plants concluded a deal with Veterinary Ireland, representing the veterinary inspectors.
The deal involved changes in the rostering, payment and the time system to be operated by temporary veterinary inspectors at the 60 meat factories in the State.
However, a number of the plants which are represented by IBEC yesterday sought a High Court injunction preventing the implementation of the new rostering arrangements agreed between the Department and Veterinary Ireland.
The Department gave a commitment to postpone the implementation of the rostering elements of the agreement until Monday 17th, November, when a full hearing of the application will take place.
The processing of cattle at plants represented by the Irish Meat Association, thought to be in the region of 40 per cent of the total, were not affected by the closures.
A spokesman for Veterinary Ireland, which represents the 600 vets who work part-time inspecting meat in factories, said it was not involved in the dispute which had come about as a result of the new agreement.
The plants represented by IBEC have complained that they were not kept abreast of the negotiations between the veterinary inspectors and the Department of Agriculture, and the changes agreed might force higher employment costs and legal obligations on them.