€11 million for dairy farmers totally inadequate, says ICMSA

THE €11 million for Irish dairy farmers announced by European Farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel is a totally inadequate response to the crisis they are facing, according to the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association.

Deputy president John O’Leary said the fund should be viewed as a first step in the wholesale changes that are required to EU dairy policy.

The current health check dairy policy had clearly failed miserably at the first hurdle and the high-level group due to report by next June must chart a new way forward based on a stable price environment and rooted in the European model of agriculture, he said.

However, Mr O’Leary said it was absolutely essential that the €11m is paid out to farmers directly with no red tape or conditions attached to it.

He also said Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith should now look at other funding sources to top up this payment.

Meanwhile, the overall €280m fund announced by Brussels to help European dairy farmers cope with their worst income crisis in a generation was welcomed by Ireland South MEP Alan Kelly.

But he said it was merely a sticking plaster over a much wider problem, with farmers and processors struggling to maintain a reasonable level of income. “The proposed fund works out at about €600 per farmer in Ireland. If you are running close to bankruptcy, that is not a huge amount of money,” he said.

Mr Kelly said he will be voting to give the Commission power to intervene quicker in the market for milk prices. He said the long-term potential for the Irish dairy industry is strong but now at risk.