Dairy farmers urged to be careful over possibility of super levy fines

DAIRY farmers need to exercise caution to avoid incurring super levy fines due to over-production at the end of the 2010/2011 milk quota year, according to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith.

The minister said that the acceleration in milk production that we saw in 2010, and particularly towards the end of the year, has continued into 2011. Butterfat-adjusted deliveries in January have brought the national position to 1.88% under quota, up from 2.35% under at the end of December.

Mr Smith said: “Given that we have already seen changes of the order of 1% from one month to the next on three occasions during the current milk quota year, there is every possibility that deliveries in the remaining two months could leave us over quota nationally at the end of March.”

As the calving season gets under way in earnest, the minister urged all dairy farmers to carefully plan their activities this spring. He said they must balance the understandable desire to maximise profitability while milk prices remain firm with the need to avoid incurring a super levy liability that could prove very damaging to their businesses.

Meanwhile, the minister has also paid tribute to the outgoing chairman of Bord na gCon, Dick O’Sullivan, whose term in the role formally ended yesterday.

Mr Smith said: “Dick O’Sullivan has given tremendous service and leadership to Bord na gCon and the Irish greyhound racing industry since he joined the board. In his term as chairman since 2006, the industry has thrived and Dick has ensured that he will leave Bord na gCon and the greyhound racing industry in a very strong position.”