Brussels Briefing

Ireland tries to milk EU for all it’s worth

Irish dairy farmers’ eagerness to exploit the huge global demand for milk could cost them over €1bn in EU fines this year as they produce more than their quota.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and MEP Mairead McGuinness have made efforts to push out the boundaries as they move closer to the starting block in 2015, when all quotas will be off and they can produce as much as they can sell.