IFA seeks talks on CAP reform deal
President John Dillon announced the move after a special IFA National Council meeting in Dublin yesterday.
He said there was an angry reaction from farmers to the major cuts in dairy farmers’ incomes that will arise from last week’s “bad deal for farmers and rural Ireland.”
Mr Dillon said he will be asking the Taoiseach to establish a task force involving the Government and all sectors of the dairy industry.
The aim will be to draw up and implement a strategy to secure the future of the dairy sector in the new circumstances.
Mr Dillon said the implications of last week’s deal are that 10,000 dairy farmers face the serious risk of going totally out of business, with a knock-on effect of 3,000 job losses in the dairy processing and service sectors.
“Because of the small farm structure and higher costs, the future of dairy farming in the west and northern counties is at highest risk,” Mr Dillon said.
Mr Dillon said all sectors including the processors, co-ops, the Irish Dairy Board and farm input suppliers must share the burden of adjustment.
They must examine all issues including the optimum product mix to secure a viable future for the Irish dairy sector, he said.
