Beef farmers throughout the State are continuing their protests outside beef production factories this afternoon over the prices they have been receiving for their cattle.
The protests began at 4.30 p.m. yesterday and will end at 4.30 p.m today.
Production at most of the State's 27 beef factories is expected to be hit by the demonstrations.
Mr John Byrne, the IFA's livestock chairman attended protests in Granagh, Co Kilkenny, Slaney, Co Wexford and in Co Kildare over the past 24 hours.
He told ireland.comabout 60 farmers were present at each protest.
Mr Byrne said kills had been cancelled in these plants today and yesterday. He called on the meat industry to resolve the situation by stabilising prices over the next three to four weeks.
IFA deputy president Mr Ruaidhri Deasy said the meat industry needed to abandon its cut price strategy towards suppliers and realise that farmers cannot continue to produce beef at a loss.
Cattle price cuts by the factories in recent weeks amounting to 34c/kg (12p/lb) or €115 per head had "wiped out any possibility of profit" from cattle farming this autumn and had seriously damaged relations between the beef factories and their farmer suppliers at this crucial time for the beef sector, Mr Deasy said.
Meat Industry Ireland, the body representing the factories, yesterday called on the IFA to call off the action before any further damage is done to the industry. A spokesman said the protests were aimed at forcing processors to pay uneconomical prices for cattle.