Warning: dairy farms face big milk levy

Ireland is on course for a substantial overshoot of its milk quota for 2013-14, and a big superlevy bill, warned sources at Dairygold Co-op.

They said a combination of increased dairy cow numbers, favourable weather, and strong milk prices have left Irish dairy farmers facing their first superlevy bills since the 2011-12 milk year.

Within Dairygold, milk deliveries were 1.28% over quota at the end of August, following an 11% increase in August, compared to 2012.