Minister warns EU over milk cuts

The European Commission was warned by Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan yesterday that the cuts it is implementing in milk market support measures are biting hard on the dairy industry.

She told a Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels that the current management of the dairy market and the range of supports are having a seriously negative effect on the sector and its ability to compete in the market.

“It is also seriously affecting producer incomes,” she said, pointing out that over the last year, the rate of aid for casein production has declined by 87%.