Irish dairy sector fastest growing since end of milk quotas

Ireland had the fastest growing dairy sector in the EU last year following the abolition of EU milk quotas, with production up 13%.

However, the National Milk Agency (NMA) said the value of dairy output fell 11% due to lower milk prices which reflected the depresse d global market conditions for dairy products.

Despite falling prices, milk supplies surged to a record 6.4bn litres in 2015 — an annual increase of 13% compared to the EU average of 2% — helped, in part, by excellent weather conditions which boosted grass growth and reduced input costs.