Call for EU move on milk stability

GALWAY IFA and dairy representatives are this week trying to step up the pressure on Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney, on the intervention price being paid for milk.

Minister Coveney will be asked to ‘up the ante’ on his former ministerial colleague, Phil Hogan, and now EU Agricultural Commissioner.

Dairy farmers are seeking an increase in the current intervention price of 21 cent per litre to 25c/26c/l – a figure aimed at covering the productions costs of Irish producers.

Farmers in Galway and the West are not expecting good news over the coming week as the ‘local’ co-ops meet to fix a price for June milk.

The signs though weren’t good over the weekend after Lakeland Dairies in Cavan voted to cut the June milk price by 0.75c/l, bringing it down to 28c/l.

Galway IFA Dairy Committee Chairman, Charlie Whiriskey, told the Farming Tribune that the biggest single boost to the dairy market situation, would be a floor intervention price of 25c.26c/l.

“There is a strong and binding commitment under CAP for the EU Commission to increase the intervention price to a level that will cover production costs,” said Charlie Whiriskey.

He said that over the past week, the IFA had been lobbying Oireachtas members to get their support for ‘putting the pressure’ on Minister Coveney to throw his full weight behind the intervention move.

“If the intervention price is brought up to this realistic level of 25 to 26c/l, then it will send an important signal to the international milk market, that the prices won’t drop any further than this,” said Charlie Whiriskey.

May milk prices for Arrabawn suppliers were cut by 2.1c/l bringing the price down to 29.34c/l, just slightly behind Glanbia and Aurivo on price with both of those paying 30c/l for May milk.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.