Irish Sugar has extended until Wednesday next the date for receipt of replies from farmers as to whether or not they will grow sugar beet this year.
The response from the farmers will determine the future of the last remaining sugar-beet processing plant in the State and the future of the 293 jobs at the facility in Mallow, Co Cork.
The Greencore-controlled company had given the 3,700 beet growers a deadline of today to say whether or not they would grow the crop for €36.85 per tonne.
That letter has split the farmers, with former suppliers to the Carlow plant being advised by its organisation to ignore the letter.
On the other hand, the IFA's advice to its members was to return the form and to indicate they would grow the crop this year because failure to do so might allow the company to say it could close the Mallow plant this year. Yesterday's Greencore statement said it was extending the deadline in response to a request from beet growers.
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael agriculture spokesman, Denis Naughten, was highly critical of the Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, for her handling of the issue.
He said that although she had told farmers they would be entitled to EU compensation if they did not grow beet this year and the industry closed, they might not have access to the €44 million diversification fund if they did not grow the crop this year.