INCREASED spending on research and development and re-investment are necessary to address the competitiveness issues identified in the latest dairy industry study.

THE umbrella body for the country's co-ops, ICOS, has warned that an increase in labour costs would further reduce their competitiveness and ultimately lead to job losses.

THE opening shots in what promises to be a long and tough battle for farmers were fired in Brussels yesterday with Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh saying no to reforming the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

THE umbrella body for the country’s co-ops, ICOS, has called on Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh to strongly oppose the Fischler proposals.

CO-OP umbrella group ICOS has described reported EC proposals to cut intervention support prices for milk by 25% between 2004 and 2008 as unacceptable and a clear breach of the Agenda 2000 Agreement.

DAIRY co-op board members are to be lobbied by the IFA in the next few days as part of a campaign to resist milk price cuts.

EUROPEAN Union measures to allow milk prices to rise above the intervention floor will be sought by an Irish dairy sector delegation when it meets with Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler in Brussels today.

vICOS, the umbrella body for the country’s co-ops, has expressed concern at the increasing levels of insurance costs in the food industry.

FARM and co-op leaders yesterday urged Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to defend the Common Agricultural Policy budget and Ireland's national interests at the EU summit in Brussels.

THE French and Irish agriculture ministers have agreed that the policy framework established under Agenda 2000 should remain in place until 2006 and that the Common Agriculture Policy should not be subject to fundamental reform at this stage.