Fresh milk industry turning sour as crisis bites

Ireland’s fresh milk supply faces a major test in 2014.

Already, some dairy farmers are not putting cows in calf due to severe fodder crisis effects. But the 10% of specialised dairy farmers who supply Ireland’s fresh drinking milk will have a major added incentive to not put cows in calf next December (which is necessary to guarantee fresh milk in shops in 2014).

Instead, they can switch calving dates and supply milk for manufacturing, in time for the abolition of EU milk quotas in April, 2015.