Stephen Cadogan: Member states should revise dairy cow owners’ subsidies

Irish dairy co-ops reckon the voluntary milk supply reductions given the green light by the European Commission won’t succeed — even if farmers are paid 10c per litre of milk volume reduced, as suggested last week by ICMSA.

It is wrong to expect that voluntary reduction might bring global supply and demand back into line, and lead to a resurgence in milk prices, according to ICOS.

The co-ops organisation says a voluntary reduction measure can only be implemented by co-ops (or producer organisations), rather than national organisations, and both the European Commission and Irish government have said they will not fund such a scheme.