The Irish Farmers' Association will this morning seek to have a High Court injunction lifted which restrains the organisation from taking steps which could lead to farmers withdrawing supplies of sugar beet from Irish Sugar.
The interim injunction, obtained by Irish Sugar on Monday, also restrains the IFA from action which could "intimidate and or persuade" growers not to supply beet to the company.
Separate discussions were ongoing yesterday between Irish Sugar and the IFA with the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Mr Noel Davern.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Greencore, is involved in a dispute with beet farmers over pricing.
Sugar beet plants at Carlow and Mallow have been closed. Some 650 workers have been placed on protective notice from December 1st. There were further protests by beet growers at the plants yesterday.
IFA president, Mr Tom Parlon said yesterday the proposal that former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, mediate between the growers and Greencore "still represents the best opportunity to resolve the beet price dispute and get the factories back to work". Mr Reynolds, who had been asked to intervene by the IFA, was rejected by the sugar company as a mediator.
However, a spokesman for the company said the IFA must move forward "taking account of the commercial reality, as opposed to getting in a mediator to achieve some movement of positions".
This "is not a long-term solution" he said.
Mr Parlon said: "Greencore's dispute with its own beet suppliers could only be settled if the sugar monopoly was genuinely committed to serious negotiations without preconditions".
He called on the Government to "investigate the operation of Irish Sugar's monopoly".
He said: "It is time the operation of Irish Sugar is investigated and a report placed before the Dβil".
"IFA remains willing to have constructive negotiations with Greencore, without any preconditions," said Mr Parlon.
Irish Sugar said in a statement it told Mr Davern "it wants a guarantee that there will be no further interruption of supply . . . and an agreement on an expert independent system of beet price adjudication".
Dr Sean Brady, chief executive of Irish Sugar, said this system would "ensure full transparency on beet price and it will underpin the ongoing viability of the sugar beet sector in Ireland. "Such a system will ensure a fair price for beet, in line with the reality of the market place, in which sugar, produced from beef, is sold".
Dr Brady blamed the factories' closure on the IFA and said the "obstruction had prevented genuine beet growers delivering beet during the past week".
The IFA, he said, "must recognise that if a grower is dissatisfied with returns from beet, he can exercise his option not to seek a new beet contract next year".
Beet hauliers also fear for job losses as a result of the dispute.
Mr Brady also said he hopes the "IFA will respond positively to the constructive framework which the company will put to Minister Davern".
The Labour Party yesterday called for a mediator to be appointed to end the dispute.