Farmer talks fail to end blockade

The blockade of Irish beef exports to Britain is to continue despite a three-hour meeting last night between Irish and British farm organisation leaders.

The meeting in London was convened yesterday by the Irish Farmers' Association which wants English, Welsh and Scottish farmers to end the protest which has jeopardised Ireland's £170 million beef trade with Britain.

But after apparently tentative discussions, the sides could only agree that "the principles of the single market must be maintained and protected". They also agreed in a statement that the British government should take the "necessary measures to protect the single market and the incomes of UK farmers".

British farm organisation leaders insisted after the meeting that the only way the protests could be ended was through British government intervention to compensate UK farmers for recent traumatic losses in income.

"That is the fundamental situation," said Mr Bill Goldsworthy, director of the Welsh Farmers' Union. "We got here as a result of extreme provocation."

The IFA president, Mr John Donnelly, who led a three-man delegation to the meeting, refused to accept that the talks had been a failure.

Sir David Naish, president of the National Farmers' Union, which represents farmers in England and Wales, said Mr Donnelly had not asked him to publicly condemn the blockades taking place at British ports.

He said he was disappointed the protests were necessary but as long as they were "peaceful and legal" he did not have a problem with them. Asked if they were not illegal under EU law, he said he would not be the judge of that.