Walsh makes calls to rationalise dairy sector

THE Government has accepted the need for rationalisation of the dairy processing sector, Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh has said.

The sector has almost 28,000 milk producing dairy farmers and about 36 co-operatives including 23 milk processors with 27 milk processing sites, 15 butter plants, 13 powder plants, 10 cheese factories and 7 casein plants.

Mr Walsh, speaking at the ICOS conference in Limerick, said developments in the WTO and likely trends for the future of the CAP make rationalisation moves in Ireland imperative.