Dairy crisis poses ‘job risk for millions’

MILLIONS of jobs in the EU food industry that depend on dairy produce are at risk as farmers are forced to produce milk below cost, warned president of the Europe-wide farmers’ union, Padraig Walshe.

Yesterday, he led a group of close to 8,000 farmers from all EU countries – including more than 90 from Ireland – in Luxembourg where EU agriculture ministers were meeting.

They demanded that more action be taken by the ministers and by the European Commission to help them through the most difficult time they have faced in the past 20 years.