Dairy summit to decide priorities for EU market supports

A DAIRY industry summit is to be held in the Horse and Jockey, Co Tipperary, on Thursday, February 19, to decide the priorities for Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to pursue in Brussels in order to secure urgent European Union market supports.

Irish Farmers Association president Padraig Walshe, who has called the summit, said he had invited the leaders of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, Macra na Feirme and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society to join with industry leaders, including the chairmen and chief executives of the Irish Dairy Board and all the co-ops.

He said he had decided to call the summit after Irish Dairy Board chief executive Noel Coakley told an IFA regional milk price meeting in Kilkenny on Tuesday night that a further €300/t in export refunds is necessary for skimmed milk powder to maintain prices.