€900m payment for milk farmers to come early

IRISH milk farmers are set to receive €900 million in single farm payments in mid-October rather than in December in recognition of the tough times farmers in the sector have been going through.

The European Commission announced the early payment yesterday as farmers demanded that EU schemes to subsidise butter and skim milk powder for pastry, ice cream and animal feed be extended to shore up demand for milk.

Dairy farmers from across Europe clashed with police in Brussels yesterday.