Mulherin calls for increase in milk intervention price

Fine Gael TD for Mayo, Michelle Mulherin, has commended the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney after he made a strong call at a recent Council of Agriculture Ministers in the EU Commission to consider examination of the intervention price. Deputy Mulherin has called for an increase in the intervention price due to the detrimental impact the current rate of 21 cent per litre has on milk prices.

“The intervention price has a significant bearing on international milk prices. It is driving them down and the current intervention price is too low. Minister Coveney has called for the intervention price to be increased so as to give dairy farmers a break.

“It currently costs more for farmers to produce milk than the intervention price. The cost of production is estimated at 25 cent per litre. I have had representations from dairy farmers and the IFA about this issue and I have raised this with Minister Coveney. It is encouraging to see him taking this matter up on behalf of dairy farmers.

“We are asking farmers to ramp up productivity in line with the scrapping of the dairy quotas. The intervention price is acting as a deterrent and we’d like them to be fairly recompensed for their efforts.”