Dispute between Kerry Dairies and milk producers set to escalate

The dispute between liquid milk producers and Kerry Dairies is expected to escalate with protests planned for this week-end at four dairies operated by the company as producer anger over the proposed cut in milk price intensifies.

Producers vented their anger for nearly two hours at a meeting of the Kerry Dairies Shareholders at Limerick last week-end, when the on-going dispute took up most of the meeting with challenging questions and demands being tabled by the farmers towards the society officials attending the meeting. The producers are contesting the proposed reduced in milk price, which they claim will cost them an average of 10-13 cents per gallon, while the cost of production continues to increase.

Kerry Dairies have told the farmers that they are being forced to reduce the cost of milk, because of the competition in the market place for liquid milk, from lower price competitions who are taking over an increasing share of the liquid market. Donal Kelliher, chairman IFA National Liquid Milk Committee said that the anger among producers has now reached a point where the level of protest will escalate “because we simply cannot take that cuts that are being proposed by the group and that message must now have got through to the society“. Prior to the shareholders meeting about 150 Kerry Liquid Milk suppliers attended a meeting of IFA at Limerick which was addressed by IFA leader, John Dillon.