Protesters stand down at Dawn Meats Slane

Protesters outside Dawn Meats Slane have stood down their protest after one of the co-chair’s of the Beef Plan had legal action brought against him.

Dawn Meats said it brought legal action against Beef Plan’s Hugh Doyle as he “said he could only have the blockade ... lifted if the company increased the base price being paid for beef”.

Dawn said this was in breach of the deal agreed over the weekend at beef talks and they were seeking damages against Doyle for losses that may be incurred.

The protesters at Slane said they ended their picket “in the best interests of the beef industry”.

In a statement, they said while the deal did not have all the answers it was the first step of “a root and branch overhaul of the Irish beef industry”.

Decision

Dawn confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that the protest had ended outside Slane.

The protesters at Dawn said they hoped their decision to withdraw would be regarded as a positive step rather than a negative one by those at other factories.

“It is hoped that the farmers throughout the country will view this deal through similar eyes as those in Slane and see that although there are areas that are lacking, it is a solid foundation that can lead to positive changes,” the statement read.

They said pickets had “achieved all they can” and it was now time to enter the next stage of the process with energy focused on dialog, not aggression and division.

The protesters signed off by saying they looked forward to a better future.

Dawn Meats stressed they were ready to end all legal proceedings provided the blockades are lifted.

“However, negotiations are impossible when faced with this sort of behaviour,” a spokesperson said.

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