Options if milk leases expire

MILK producers who make no deliveries in the 2006-07 year will be allowed to sell their quotas into the new open-market milk quota transfer system coming in April, 2007.

Quota transfer options for other categories of producers were outlined by Jim Beecher, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Agriculture and Food, at last week’s ICOS Dairy Conference for co-op directors and managers.

Where land and milk quota leases expired on March 31, and if the lessor cannot agree to sell to the lesee, they can arrange a one-year extension lease. If a lease expiring on March 31 is lost, the lesee will get priority in the 2006-07 restructuring and temporary leasing schemes, and in the new quota transfer system in 2007.