Dairy industry ‘not looking at itself’

THE country's dairy processors were accused yesterday of not engaging in serious debate on their own weaknesses in order to achieve the necessary restructuring of milk collection, manufacturing, marketing and investment.

IFA dairy committee chairman Michael Murphy said dairy farmers were angry at co-op leaders who saw farmer numbers being cut in half in the future but were ignoring the need for major efficiencies and co-ordinated investment at processor level to return better milk prices.

He accused industry spokesmen of attempting to reduce the agenda for the future of the dairy industry to the sole issue of farmer restructuring.