Dairy farms failing hygiene standards get final warnings

MILK producers with sub-standard farmyards are being spared the difficult choice between getting out of farming in 2004 or in 2005.

They have received final warnings from co-ops that their milk won't be collected, because the farmyard facilities are not up to required hygiene standards.

Some of the farmers hoped to hand on in milk production to 2005, when they could give up and still qualify for the decoupled dairy premium of up to 16.6c per gallon.