EU may defer superlevy

The idea of spreading the 2014/15 superlevy bill over a number of years at an interest free rate has gained some traction in the European Commission, according to ICOS sources in Brussels.

They said there is currently a legal examination of this proposal to see if it complies with state aid and competition law in the EU.

ICOS supports the idea, but a spokesperson said it can only form part of the solution to help farmers and their dairy co-ops over what will be a difficult year for them in terms of cash flow and income.