THE dispute over the Russian beef contract overshadowed proceedings at the annual general meeting of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association in Limerick yesterday. The conference was addressed by the President, Mrs Robinson.
At a stormy session held behind closed doors in the Two Mile Inn the organisation reversed the decision of its president, Mr Frank Allen, who had earlier welcomed the deal "with regret".
The delegates passed a resolution "condemning the signing of the protocol by Mr Yates with the Russian authorities which excluded beef from counties Tipperary, Cork and Monaghan".
At a press conference, Mr Allen said he was very disappointed with the deal. He described the way it had been dealt with by the Minister for Agriculture as "unfortunate".
His critics, he said, had said he had welcomed the deal, but the truth was that he had welcomed the fact that the markets were still open. But, he said, he had always made it clear he disagreed with the exclusion of the three counties.
He said he would be meeting Mr Yates this evening and the organisation would also be seeking a meeting with the Taoiseach.
"The priority must be to get those counties included again so they can export to Russia and to all other markets", he said.
He accepted that Mr Yates was in a difficult position and if he had not agreed with the Russians there would be no market.
In her address to the meeting, Mrs Robinson praised the work of the ICMSA, which she recalled had been born in difficult times as a result of a cut in milk prices.
She said farming life was never easy and there were current difficulties. She praised the commitment of the organisation to rural Ireland and said that confidence was part of a real and modern Ireland.