The first meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce has been postponed after chaotic scenes outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin.
The talks were due to take place following an agreement between the sides over the dispute which led to blockades outside dozens of meat factories.
Some farmers jeered and shoved representatives from Meat Industry Ireland (MII) who were trying to get into the building.
After the scuffle, which lasted around 10 minutes, MII's Cormac Healy left without gaining access.
He said: "The legal actions in relation to protests and blockades outside meat plants have been honoured".
But farmers dispute that, and that is why they did not want the meeting of the taskforce to go ahead.
Farmers block Cormac Healy from Meat Industry Ireland as they protest outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin | Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ieOne farmer said: "The future is very bleak for us unless we can get some sort of a good deal on the table, and at the moment there is no deal".
"We're not accepting there'll be any talks until these injunctions have been removed, on behalf of these fellow farmers", another said.
The planned talks - which were due to discuss issues such as the prices farmers get for their cattle - have now been postponed.
Dermot O'Brien is from the Beef Plan Movement: "We would ask Minister Creed now at this point to please intervene, to get this closed out, get all the injunctions lifted so that we can move forward".
Reporting by Stephen Murphy
Main image: Farmers block Cormac Healy from Meat Industry Ireland as they protest outside the Department of Agriculture in Dublin | Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
