Life would be easier for dairy farmers if they could raise prices like ESB

THE announcement of another round of increases in ESB charges has given an electric shock to all consumers and, in particular, to dairy farmers, heavy users of electricity who must pay bigger bills from a milk price which is less than it was a decade ago.

This month ESB price hike will be followed by another increase at the end of the year, because oil price rises have increased the cost of generating the power.

Farmers envy monopolie like the ESB, who can pass on additional costs to the consumer at a whim, while operating at less than maximum efficiency and not taking full advantage of cost saving opportunities within their business.