Twin headaches on the horizon for dairy farmers

Dairy farmers must brace themselves in the coming year for the significant double-threat of punitive superlevy fines due to follow the present price squeeze.

Noting the latest announcement by the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine has shown that the official milk quota position at the end of September was 6.94% over quota, ICMSA deputy president, Pat McCormack, said there was now a clearly identifiable threat of dairy farmers facing huge drains on their resources at the outset of the first post-quota year.

Mr McCormack said that it was incumbent upon serious observers to present the facts as they were and issue warnings where real threats could be recognised and on that basis he was in no doubt that on present figures a very challenging cash-flow situation comparable to Spring 2013 for the farmers affected by a super-levy.