DAIRY co-op leaders have been told they must lead the way towards the restructuring of their industry, worth almost €12 billion in total sales.

A PRICE collapse of almost 50% in an 18-month period is a traumatic occurrence by any standards. In round figures, this is what has happened to Irish dairy farmers since the autumn of 2007.

DAIRY co-op leaders from Ireland, Denmark and Holland have called for an increase in milk quotas by up to 2% per annum from 2009 to 2014.

IRISH dairy farmers and processors welcomed the EU’s strong negotiating stance in the WTO talks. But the Danish Dairy Board (DDF) has warned EU dairy exporters may be in for a difficult future in a world governed by bilateral trade deals which favour the EU’s competitors.