Farmers gathered from 7am on Friday morning 15 September outside the Strand Hotel in Limerick city at Fine Gael's think-in to protest over the cut to the derogation and payment delays.

This protest follows on from a two-day protest staged by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) earlier in the week at Fianna Fáil's think-in at the Horse and Jockey Hotel in Tipperary.

Farmers came with banners and signs reading "show respect for farmers" and "pay BISS and ANC on time".

“Here we have a Minister and a Government making a decision that is going to damage our sector and that damage is irreparable,” IFA president Tim Cullinan said.

Meeting

The Taoiseach agreed to meet with the IFA to discuss a range of issues - focusing mainly on the derogation, but also on delayed farm payments and the new suckler scheme, as well as issues being faced.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cullinan said: "I'm very clear in what I'm going to say to the Taoiseach.

"I want the Taoiseach to intervene immediately, so we can reopen the negotiations with the officials in Brussels and get those officials back over here to Ireland, to show them what our farmers are doing.

"If the cut was to go ahead at 220kg N/ha, it would mean a substantial loss for our dairy sector."