Calls have been made on the Minister for Agriculture to seek the immediate resumption of talks surrounding the beef crisis.
On Thursday, Minister Michael Creed confirmed that talks aimed at resolving the crisis over beef prices will reconvene this Monday.
However, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue said waiting until September 9th was ‘unacceptable’.
He said: “The Minister must immediately resume talks. Waiting until Monday to reconvene a second round of talks is unacceptable and will benefit no one. We need to recommence talks straight away while the momentum is there.
“On Wednesday the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee passed our Fianna Fáil proposal mandating the Minister for Agriculture to seek the immediate resumption of talks and calling for meat processors to demonstrate a willingness to address these issues as part of a renewed talks process. The Committee also unanimously agreed on the necessity for retailers to be included in talks.
“The Minister has chosen to ignore the will of the committee that talks should reconvene. There is a lack of real urgency from the Minister and I am calling on him to rethink his decision and start talks today,” he concluded.
In a statement yesterday (Thurs), Mr Creed said there was now a basis for talks to begin, adding that it was vital that stakeholders engage in a spirit of compromise.
He said: “We have reached a point where it is critically important for the future of the sector that stakeholders engage in a spirit of compromise to resolve a dispute that has the potential to inflict long term damage on the sector if it continues.
“It is clear that this can only happen if processors and protesters step back from court proceedings and illegal blockades, in order to allow space for meaningful talks to proceed.”
