The National Dairy Council (NDC) is appealing a decision from Revenue Commissioners not to repay over €815,000 in VAT repayment claims for 2019.
On January 13, 2020, Revenue Commissioners wrote to the NDC to say they refused VAT repayment claims to the value of €815,176.
The NDC appealed this decision to the Tax Appeals Commission in February.
Meanwhile, the NDC annual report for 2019 shows that the council had an income of just over €5.5 million in 2019, an increase of just under €1 million since 2018.
Meanwhile, its expenses for the year came in at just over €4.9 million, an increase of around €400,000 compared to 2018. This was made up of direct expenses of just over €4.5 million; establishment expenses of around €53,000; and administrative expenses of around €265,500.
A spokesperson for the NDC noted: “Since the abolition of milk quotas in 2015, the Irish dairy industry has expanded significantly. The co-ops and businesses have done a good job at handling the extra volume and turning it into a higher value offering.
“This has translated into an even bigger role for the NDC in managing the ever-changing and demanding Irish consumer. At the moment, we have 90% of Irish households consuming dairy at least weekly and 70% claiming they’re consuming dairy every single day,” the spokesperson added.
According to the NDC, some 80% of its income is invested in its own programmes.
Liquid milk supplies rise – farmer numbers drop
In other dairy sector-related news, last year saw an overall increase in the amount of milk supplied from winter milkers and year-round dairy farms.
However, the number of registered producers with liquid milk contracts has dropped by 21% for the 2019/2020 milk year, according to the National Milk Agency.
The agency revealed the details in its annual report and accounts for 2019.
It was noted that registered milk producers were a significant producer grouping in the domestic milk supply sector in 2018/2019, representing 10% of all milk producers and supplying 13% of domestic milk supplies.