Independent milk testing is payment condition

DAIRY farmers insist that changing to a new basis of payment for milk must be conditional on the introduction of independent milk testing.

David Thompson, Limerick county IFA dairy committee, told a meeting of the Limerick County IFA Executive that the planned change to payment based on the value of solids, less operational costs, must be accompanied by constituent testing of milk independent of the processor.

“We must have independent testing of milk, first, if we are to have the A+B-C method of payment introduced. Farmers need that assurance on milk testing and it should be introduced,” he said.