More than 100 members and representatives of the Irish pig industry gathered in Dublin this afternoon to demand that processing plants be reopened.
Members of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) congregated at the Department of Agriculture on Kildare Street to say it was unacceptable that the closure of 10 farms, following the discovery contaminants, should shut down business for 450 others.
Discussions aimed at reopening processing plants, involving Taoiseach Brian Cowen, the Minister of Agriculture Brendan Smith and pigmeat processors, remained deadlocked last night and the talks continued in the Department of Agriculture as the as the demonstrators gathered today.
Tim Cullinan of the IFA national pigs committee said farmers are losing €1 million for every day and that their livelihoods are being put in "jeopardy".
"Pig producers whose herds are clear of any contamination have been unable to move their perfectly healthy animals to processors," he said.
"We are suffering severe losses every day while supermarket shelf space is being lost to imports."
The protesters said a backlog of 60,000 pigs that are ready to be slaughtered has developed since the processing plants closed their doors and that this figure was increasing rapidly every day.
Mairead O'Brien, a pig farmer from Mitchelstown in Co Cork, said it was imperative the processors and the Government come up with a solution that got the pigmeat market moving again.
"It's like the tap is on and the sink is filling and the water has nowhere to go. I've had pigs ready for sale since last Monday and I have banamhs being born every minute," she said.
Fine Gael agriculture spokesman Michael Creed and party colleagues Shane McEntee, Seymour Crawford and Charlie Flanagan joined the protesters.
"We're here to support these people who's livelihood is under threat but we're also here to support people who's jobs have been lost and are under threat in the processing sector," Mr Creed said.
He added that it was very important that the ongoing discussions over a plan to assist farmers and processors be concluded as soon as possible.
