Coughlan must heed anger over quota plan

SOME quarters of the dairy sector have reacted very negatively to the quota system that Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan plans to introduce in 2007.

The boss of Lakeland Dairies, Ed Prendergast, condemns the cheque-book approach to quota transfer as unworkable and dismisses the concept of farmers buying quota from each other at mart as "inconceivable".

Mr Prendergast argues that the impact of this proposal will hurt hardest in the north-east, the north-west and the west.