Cheap milk in Europe means Ireland

MARTIN HAAB, president of the Swiss-German dairy farmer grouping, Big M, told the EMB meeting in Dublin, “If Irish dairy farmers want to produce extra milk and sell it to China, that is okay, as long as it doesn’t hurt Europe.

But if Ireland wants to increase its exports into the EU, that is different. If Irish dairy farmers do something to hurt Europe, it won’t be liked.”

“There is a risk that the Irish could be viewed as dumpers. Up to now, when we talk about cheap milk, we are talking about New Zealand and Eastern Europe, but these places are far away. If we speak of cheap milk in Europe, then we are talking about Ireland.

In Switzerland, the average dairy farm size is 25 cows.

For most farmers, production has soared since an EU-style milk quota system was scrapped. However, the price has gone down, and so has the quality of life, say Swiss farmers. Martin Haab said: “How will there be enough farmers if they don’t have a social life? If they are working all the time? There is a big difference between Europe and New Zealand in terms of production models. Do we really have to compete with those guys?

“It is better to work less and get a 50% better price. When you work too hard and still can’t pay your bills, social problems start in families. That is something we have realised.

“In 2008, we had a pretty high price for our milk, about 25 to 30c above the level we are at now.”