ICMSA seeks dairy forum meeting amid fears of more milk prices cuts

A MEETING of the National Dairy Forum is being sought by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association as fears grow among farmers of further cuts in the price they are paid for milk supplies.

ICMSA deputy president John O’Leary said it was “an open secret” that certain sources were predicting a 2009 Spring milk price that would see several thousand more suppliers simply exit the sector completely, on grounds of viability.

Mr O’Leary said all the stakeholders in the dairy sector must get around a table and try and plot a way forward that allows the processing side to develop commercially but which pays milk suppliers an income that is comparable at least to other sectors of the economy.