EU likely to move to control of milk supply

A new EU aid package for dairy farmers in July is likely to be linked to an EU-wide milk supply control measure — and may be partly financed from a crisis reserve fund taken out of farmer payments.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said Ireland accounts for only 4% of production in Europe and 1% globally, and will resist any EU pressure to scale back milk production.

He said there is no appetite in Ireland to go down the route of voluntary or compulsory cuts in production, other than support from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association.