Dismantling EU milk quota will open up opportunities for producers

THE planned dismantling of the EU milk quota system will open up new opportunities for Irish milk producers to expand, the Teagasc national dairy conference was told in Cork yesterday.

Delegates heard how Ireland is one of just six countries in western Europe that is expected to be able to expand milk production in line with the quota increases, agreed as part of the CAP “health check.

Preben Mikkelsen, a Danish dairy and food consultant, told the conference the structure of milk production in Ireland is a major challenge to expansion, and that the Irish dairies have to combine to be competitive.