A member of Ireland Parliament from the Independent party Deputy Michael Collins has been quoted as saying by the Southern Star that "over the past number of weeks, beef farmers have been holding public meetings in West Cork and Kerry, which have been attended by hundreds of people who are trying to see if they can save their livelihoods."
Prices for cattle have collapsed and many are working at a loss and they cannot allow this to continue, according to the Irish newspaper.
"We have to urgently look at other markets," Collins said. "If we do not, the beef farmers will face the worst crisis they have ever seen. The Iranian market is a significant option, with encouraging signs that it wants Irish beef, lamb, chicken and turkey. We face one stumbling block to a strong export market to Iran. Other strong exporting European countries have embassies in Tehran, Ireland does not. The Iranian ambassador has said that is a major stumbling block for Iran."
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