Ireland Establishes Dairy Consultative Group
Ireland - A consultative group will advise the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith on medium and long term measures to help the dairy sector.
8 October 2009
2 minute read
The Minister welcomed the proposal of the Commissioner last Monday, to establish a High Level Group of representatives to consider a range of options for the future.
Now that it is accepted by Member States, that quotas will be phased out by 2015, there are calls for alternative regulatory framework which the newly established High Level Group will address.
As the first meeting of the High Level group will take place next Tuesday (13th October) Minister Smith said: "I was anxious to establish a Consultative Group so that I could hear the views of the experts here on issues emerging at the High Level Group and more particularly because the ideas, knowledge and expert opinion of the Irish dairy sector will provide key perspectives on how the sector needs to be developed and supported into the future".
The Minister said that "the consultative group will be representative all the stakeholders and I will be asking the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, Macra na Feirme , ICOS, IDIA and IDB to nominate representatives. In addition, Teagasc and academic interest will be invited to participate and these invitations will be issued shortly".
Concluding, Minister Smith said that his Department would shortly convene the first meeting of the consultative group. "I want to ensure that in preparing the Irish dairy sector for its longer term future, I have direct access to the broadest possible range of views, to assist me in that process" he said.
