€500m to aid dairy farmers over fall in prices

Dairy farmers who have lost a quarter of their income from the drop in milk prices are in line for a boost from the EU with Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan announcing a €500m package of aid.

Just under €14m of this is earmarked for Irish farmers, while they will also be able to benefit from milk powder, cheese, and pigment being taken off the market and put into storage to allow demand to recover.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said he was very pleased with the package, which included most of what he was looking for, but the ICMSA, representing dairy farmers, was not at all enthusiastic.