Legislation for the long-awaited code of practice for the retail sector will be introduced "within weeks", Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney told the Agricultural Science Association conference in Waterford yesterday.

Producers and suppliers have been calling for the code of practice for many years in an effort to stop sharp practices by powerful retailers. These include looking for payments to keep products on shelves, or to fund promotional campaigns.

"That is on the way. I think you'll see it in a matter of weeks," Mr Coveney said of the legislation. It is being produced by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. He was addressing some 300 agri-food industry figures. Matthew Johnson, European dairy analyst with Rabobank in Holland, said EU milk supply was expected to increase by 7 to 8 per cent between 2015 and 2020, following the abolition of milk quotas.

This would add 10 billion litres of milk to the EU output, or twice Ireland’s current output.

He said the pace of expansion in different countries will be dictated by the ability of farmers to produce milk cheaply from grass.

“Ireland is one of the very few areas in Europe where farmers can produce over nine tonnes of grass dry matter per hectare per annum. This puts Irish farmers at a distinct advantage in growing milk production,” he said.