1 October 2009

2 minute read

Europe

This was welcome by Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) President Graham Furey, following a meeting in Brussels today with senior EU Officials Daniele Bianchi and Martin Van Driel.

Graham Furey said; “We have met senior officials with responsibility for the dairy sector and we are reassured that the EU Commission are not considering prematurely releasing intervention stocks of dairy products in a way which would endanger the current fragile recovery in global dairy prices. Dairy prices have finally begun to improve and dairy farmers need this steady improvement to continue”.

Graham Furey added; “The Commission officials emphasised the range of support measures currently in place to support the dairy sector, but I was pleased to get their assurance that they had no plans to release intervention stocks of dairy products in a way which might destabilise the market place. The Commission believes that the support measures which they have introduced have contributed to the recovery in farm gate milk prices and it would not be in their interests to change policy at this time. They are also acutely aware that virtually all EU member states want the Commission to maintain and improve current support mechanisms”.

“However it is also very clear that the Commission are sticking firmly to their view that there will be no change in their policy in respect of the abolishing of quotas and their view that export refunds will eventually go, even with or without a World Trade Organisation agreement. The Commission officials also indicated that their report on the workings of the dairy food supply chain, investigating the disparity of returns at retail, processing and farm level, was now likely to be published at the end of October, earlier than previously expected”.

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