Beet and barley growers protest outside venue of a.g.m.

More than 300 beet and malting barley growers, led by the Irish Farmers Association President, Mr John Dillon, protested outside the Berkeley Court Hotel as a build-up to the Greencore a.g.m.

They carried placards outlining their opposition to the closure of the Carlow sugar factory and the malting plant at Banagher, Co Offaly.

Mr Dillon said the growers had rejected Greencore's decision to close the Carlow factory because the move was premature before the outcome of EU negotiations is known at the end of this year.

"They demanded that the decision be deferred for one year to allow an orderly, negotiated plan be rolled out to get the beet to the Mallow factory at no additional cost to growers," said Mr Dillon.

"Greencore must also immediately restore malting barley contracts to growers who supplied the maltings in Banagher. This move by Greencore to strip Guinness contracts away from traditional growers is in direct contravention of the agreement reached between IFA and Guinness."

" It is vital that these traditional grower contracts are maintained and that the agreement with Guinness is honoured," he said.

Mr Dillon warned that Greencore has brought about a confrontation with two large farming sectors supplying its major agri-business operations, sugar and malt. Greencore seems determined to exploit its monopoly in sugar processing and its dominant position in the malt industry at the expense of farmers, he said.

The chairman of the IFA's sugar beet section, Mr Jim O'Regan, said there was no justification for Greencore's decision to shut a profitable plant and then try and impose costs on beet growers.

He accused Greencore of totally misleading growers, as it has no specific arrangements in place to move beet to Mallow this year.

He also claimed that over 1,000 beet growers were likely to exit the industry this coming season because of the actions of Greencore.

The chairman of the IFA's grain committee, Mr Paddy Harrington, said the closure of the maltings in Banagher came at a time when Guinness was increasing its requirement for Irish malt, having moved their production facilities from Park Royal in London to St James's Gate, Dublin.He said IFA will be meeting with Guinness and demand that growers Guinness contracts were secured.

Following the protest, the farmers went to the Dail to lobby TDs and senators to attempt to keep the plant in Carlow open.