Further supports for the dairy industry aimed at stimulating demand for milk products were announced today, following a meeting between the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, and EU Commissioner Mr Franz Fischler.
Today’s announcement, after an EU Dairy Management Committee meeting, follows intense lobbying by farmers in recent weeks over the worldwide fall in the price of dairy produce.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) says the dairy industry cannot compete internationally because of what it says is "unrestricted overproduction by New Zealand, Australia and the US".
It also says dairy farmers’ incomes had been reduced by over 30 per cent since last year.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) says that up until the recent round of EU interventions the price of milk had fallen by 3 cent per litre since last September.
The latest set of measures include export refund increases for skim milk and whole milk powder and casein (a milk by-product) aid.
Since last November, the Commission has increased export refunds for skimmed and whole milk powder six times. It has also boosted refunds for butter and cheese.