We are entering that time of the year when milk production on farms starts to accelerate towards its peak.

Describing any situation as ‘critical’ is obviously a subjective exercise: what I deem to be an emergency might not meet your definition.

Billions of euro and thousands of jobs will flow from the historic deregulation of Europe’s dairy sector, a string of Irish ministers promised at the opening this week of a vast new plant to make dried milk for developing markets.