Suppliers warned by minister to expect heavier superlevy fines

Aggregate national milk output totalling 1.63% over quota as of end of December will mean heavier superlevy fines than the 2011/12 quota year, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.

The ICMSA estimates over-quota farmers will have to pay anything from €30m up to €40m. This is far higher than the €16m they paid collectively in 2011/12, when Ireland was 1.05% over quota.

The 1.63% over quota figure is an aggregate of the nine months to December 2013. The dairy industry widely views this figure as a reliable indication of Ireland’s likely 12-month position. The quota year runs until Mar 31, 2014.