Time for the ESB to face up to its double standards

LONGER refrigerated storage of milk on farms to maintain the highest standards of quality has added considerably to production costs for dairy farmers.

The escalating cost of electricity over the past two years has leaned heavily on their incomes, with bigger bills to pay from lower milk prices.

The announcement from the ESB that the cost will increase by up to 20% in 2007 — because of higher generating costs — means a further chunk of milk income is removed.