Voluntary cuts to milk output key for farmer in short term

Assuming that you’re reading this article on July 18, I write this in the quiet hope that a decision will be taken at today’s Farm Council that will lead to the introduction of a completely voluntary milk production-reduction programme.

This has been called for by the ICMSA since late spring when we became convinced that the Government and European Commission’s policy of “wait and see” was failing.

Today’s decision — and it is no more than a possibility, though a strong one — will mean the current drastic oversupply of milk can finally be addressed in a way that allows individual milk suppliers to make the decision on a completely voluntary basis and in a way that suits their own circumstances.