POTATO GROWERS disrupted a meeting of senior Tesco officials yesterday to protest over the importation of potatoes from Britain.
The 30 farmers targeted the meeting of Tesco executives at the Marriott Hotel, Ashbourne, Co Meath.
The company was holding one of its biannual meetings of its top staff when the farmers burst into the room carrying potato sacks and demanding they be heard.
While one of the men who took part in the protest said the protest was “completely peaceful”, Tesco sources said the farmers broke down a door to get in.
The Garda were called to the protest but no arrests were made and the only damage visible was to the handle of the door which led to the meeting room.
Tos Carpenter, a grower from Co Meath, said they had gone into the meeting to highlight the displacement not just of farmers but of other jobs in the food and retail sectors.
“We wanted to make the point that the actions of Tesco were not just hurting us but others in the sector as well, those in delivery, packing and even among Tesco staff here in the Republic who are being laid off,” he said.
“The amount of Tesco shelf space being given over to Irish-produced goods is getting smaller and smaller, and that is having an immediate impact on the job situation here.
“If the level of importation continues, we are going to be put out of business and that will mean even more job losses,” said Mr Carpenter, who stressed the protest had not been organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association.
The main complaint of the protesters was the importation of Desiree breed potatoes which look almost like the native Irish Rooster, which they say is being displaced by imports.
However, Tesco said the Desiree potatoes on offer in its stores came from Northern Ireland and shoppers going North had taken a liking to them, so they were now being offered in more shops in the Republic.
In a statement Tesco Ireland said it was proud of the contribution it made to Irish agriculture and continued to be the world’s biggest supporter of Irish food and drink producers, buying €2 billion worth of Irish food products annually.
“Tesco Ireland facilitates €655 million worth of exports per annum of Irish-origin food and other products into the Tesco group internationally. The companys stores outside of Ireland are the second-biggest buyers in the world of Irish food and drink, making the Tesco Group a bigger purchaser of Irish food and drink than a number of countries including France, Germany, the United States and others.”
It said Tesco Ireland’s domestic spend was €1.28 billion on Irish goods, including food, and its operations were worth €2.5 billion a year to the Irish economy, supporting 27,000 jobs in the Republic.
IFA president Pádraig Walshe said he was not surprised by the protest as it reflected the deep anger at Tesco’s decision to displace local, quality produce with imports.