Glanbia urged to suspend milk penalties for rest of the year

The ICMSA has called on Glanbia to immediately suspend milk seasonality penalties for 2012 and allow farmers to plan for the rest of the year without the threat of fines relating to milk supplied in June or earlier.

Pat McCormack, deputy president and chairman of ICMSA’s dairy committee, said the atrocious weather conditions over the summer had thrown milk production patterns way off the norms and that the quality of much winter fodder is poor.

He said it was unfair and unworkable to suggest that farmers be forced to produce milk later this year simply to meet required percentages set down by Glanbia to avoid seasonality penalties.