Informal contacts between the Irish Farmers' Association and the Irish Meat Association to resolve the five-week-old dispute, which has been disrupting the beef industry, have failed to bring a resolution any closer.
Yesterday, Mr John Smith, chief executive of the Irish Meat Association, representing the meat factories, predicted that distribution of beef to overseas customers was likely to be badly hit by the intensification of the dispute by the IFA on Tuesday.
"This is a campaign by the IFA to centrally fix beef prices which can only be determined by the markets and this can never work," he said.
He said the escalation of the dispute during the week when the largest food fair in Europe, SIAL, would be taking place in Paris, sent the wrong message to buyers there about the Irish beef industry, a fact that would be seized on by Ireland's competitors.
However, the IFA confirmed yesterday that plans to stage a protest, from 7 p.m. on Tuesday to Friday afternoon at five plants, would proceed as planned because the actions taken over the previous four weekends had kept cattle prices from falling.
The plants at which the IFA will protest are AIBP, Nenagh and Cahir, Co Tipperary; the Dawn plants at Granagh, Waterford and Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon; and the Kepak plant in Clonee, Co Meath.
The IFA president, Mr John Dillon, claimed farmers had already saved €6 million by their action, which had prevented a €40 per animal drop in price.
Tuesday's action, the first protest to take place during the working week, will lead to disruption of deliveries overseas, according to Mr Smith, who said that an industry, already losing money, could not afford to lose customers.
Last night, the IFA claimed farmers were being told by the factories not to supply cattle next week.