The second meeting of the Dairy Forum with key stakeholders from the Irish dairy sector took place today ahead of next week’s key meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels.
Speaking after the forum the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney said he is acutely aware that this period of price volatility has been challenging for the dairy sector and farmers in particular not least because it is more prolonged than expected.
“When this forum last met on 29 September we were all hopeful that an upturn in early 2016 would start to appear but this has not turned out to be the case,” he said.
According to the Minister today was about re-focussing on the measures which could be taken to stabilise the market and the key issues which we believe should be agreed at EU level next week when the Agriculture Council meets so that the sector and farmers overcome this period of reduced prices.
The Forum which was attended by key stakeholders including farm organisations, processors, State Agencies and the banking sector discussed the market outlook for 2016, had an exchange of views with the banks on access to finance as well as a discussion on preparations for next Monday’s Council meeting in Brussels.
The Minister also held talks with EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan earlier in the day in Dublin in preparation for next week’s Council.
The meeting discussed the detailed 10-point plan which Ireland has circulated in advanced of the meeting.
Commenting on the meeting the Minister said he is in close contact with the Commissioner and other Ministers as well as stakeholders here in preparation for this Council.
“We have circulated a ten-point plan which I believe can be the basis for discussion. We have in fact added one point in the meantime in response to the IFPRI analysis on the fertiliser sector where we have called on the Commission to review the tariff regime currently in place in response to the findings of this study which I am hopeful will be delivered”.
Irish proposals
The Minister said the proposals which we have made are a combination of short-term market support measures as well as medium-long term measures to help tackle volatility.
“My approach at Council will be to remind all parties that the big decisions on the EU dairy sector were taken in the 2008 dairy package and confirmed in the 2013 CAP Reform.
“This is a sector which needs stability right now and I believe it would be a mistake if next week’s Council turned out to be some kind of mid-term CAP review. The Commission have the tools to deploy under the CMO Regulations and I will be pushing them to implement effective measures at next week’s Council.”
The Minster said the priority now has to be on the measures which can help producers out of this current slump as well as on measures which can minimise the effects of such downward volatility in the future.
“The discussions at today’s Forum were extremely useful in this regard and I look forward to presenting Ireland’s ideas in Brussels next Monday,” the Minister said.