The Competition Authority complained to the High Court yesterday that a court order restraining a picket on Natural Dairies Ltd at Convoy, Co Donegal, was being flouted. It also said there was evidence that the Irish Farmers Association was supplying food to demonstrators there.
The farmers' protest is against an arrangement which Natural Dairies has with Dunnes Stores nationwide to supply it with processed milk.
Mr Justice Smyth, who earlier this week granted the injunction prohibiting the picketing, granted liberty to serve notice of the court order on the IFA.
Mr David Barniville, for the authority, had told the court there was evidence its injunction, which continues until Monday, was being flouted, as people on the picket were being changed continuously and it was not possible to establish their identities.
He said the Convoy premises was closed down and when the injunction was served on Mr Patrick Jennings of Sommerville, Co Meath, and Mr Dermot Nally of Navan, Co Meath, the first considered it a bit of a joke and the second regarded it with amusement.
Mr Justice Smyth deemed the court order had been served on both men and he also issued a further restraining order against Mr Norman Witheroe, of Convoy, who was said to have left three vehicles at the entrance to the premises.
The judge also directed that the court's order should be served on the local IFA secretaries in Donegal and Meath. The law of the State applied to everyone, he said, and there was "an appropriate mechanism" for anyone found to be in breach of court orders.
He gave liberty to the Competition Authority to return to court at any stage if there was any further difficulty.
Farmers say they will go on picketing until Natural Dairies gives an undertaking to put pressure on Dunnes to raise the price of its two-litre milk carton from 86p to 95p. The authority says such a step is prohibited under the 1991 Competition Act.