Attempts to save the beef sector were under way on Wednesday. Minister Michael Creed met separately with processor and farmer representatives in the wake of the factory closures and temporary redundancies announced over the previous 24 hours.

The seventh week since protests at factory gates began has seen the dispute move into its most serious phase. Meat Industry Ireland refused to sit down with farmers, walking away from talks on Monday. It insists illegal blockades at factory gates must end before it re-engages. The protesters are now standing outside empty gates, as processing comes to a halt.

The prediction is for the beef kill this week to be down to 10,000 head, almost a quarter of what is normal for this time of year. Much of that is at processors independent of the “big five” – ABP, Dawn, Kepak, Liffey Meats and Slaney Foods.

Seventeen factories are closed. Among those are all ABP and all Kepak processing outlets. Over 3,000 workers have been made temporarily redundant. Small towns such as Kilbeggan, Athleague, Bunclody and Bandon have lost their biggest employer for now. Slaney Foods stopped slaughtering on Tuesday, despite the picket there ending on Friday.

The closures see financial pressure mounting on farmers who want to get animals slaughtered.