The proposed reform of the milk quota system next year by Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has created more uncertainty among dairy farmers, it was claimed yesterday.
Richard Kennedy of the Irish Farmers' Association's national dairy committee said the announcement had created a great deal of uncertainty which would badly affect active milk producers this year.
He urged the Minister to commission research to assess the economic value of milk quota to Irish dairy farmers. Affordability of milk quotas for farmers had to be a primary consideration.
Dominic Cronin, chairman of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association's dairy committee, said the Minister had completely undermined this year's restructuring scheme. "The complete halt to restructuring is now due exclusively to the Minister's own folly rather than any flaw in the restructuring scheme. All the Minister's talk about the free market is utter nonsense."
Macra na Feirme national president Colm Markey said Ms Coughlan's assertion that open trading of milk quota would improve competitiveness was "way off the mark". Open quota trading would result in progressive dairy farmers paying huge amounts to those leaving dairying.