Dairy farmers protest across Europe as prices fall below production costs

Farm-gate prices in most EU countries are now about 10 to 20 cents below production costs (in Ireland and Northern Germany 25 cents a litre, in Lithuania just 19 cents a litre)
Farm-gate prices in most EU countries are now about 10 to 20 cents below production costs (in Ireland and Northern Germany 25 cents a litre, in Lithuania just 19 cents a litre)

Numerous protests and demonstrations have been held in member countries of the European Milk Board as farmers took to the streets in their tractors, protest letters were handed in, warning fires lit and balloons let off.

The milk market crisis is a burning issue and a stark threat to many farms in Europe.

“Yet all the politicians can do is produce hot air”, said Kjartan Poulsen, President of the Danish milk producer organisation LDM.

“To preserve long-term milk production in the EU, though, the right solutions have to be found now. In a few years’ time it will be too late for many dairy farmers.”

Dairy protest in Northern Ireland
Dairy protest in Northern Ireland

“We call on the EU Ministers of Agriculture to discuss the European Milk Board’s Market Responsibility Programme (MRP) at their meeting in the coming week.” says Sieta van Keimpema, President of the Dutch Dairymen Board and Vice-President of the EMB.

“Cost-covering milk prices and a flexible crisis instrument are the key to a sustainable dairy industry in the EU!”

Roberto Cavaliere, President of the APL (Italy), said: “Whenever the milk price falls below production costs we need the option of a voluntary restraint on supply, as provided for in the MRP. So long as milk production carries on blithely in times of crisis, the milk price will never stabilise. The major retailers toy with us, and still pay us indecently low prices for our milk. We made people aware of that in Italy today with a big tractor demo outside supermarkets.”

The low milk prices of recent months are 'no short-term market fluctuations' that a healthy farm can absorb.

Farm-gate prices in most EU countries are now about 10 to 20 cents below production costs (in Ireland and Northern Germany 25 cents a litre, in Lithuania just 19 cents a litre).

"These prices are the result of a short-sighted policy that is geared only to cheap raw materials for export instead of aspiring to sustainable solutions," said the Milk Board.

Farmers for Action said: "in the long term the more British cheese we can sell and get consumed by the British public this enables us to extract more money within the supply chain to feed back to hard pressed dairy farmers.

"FFA over the coming weeks will continue to put pressure on retailers and processors that more money is needed as a matter of urgency if we are to get dairy farming through what is going to be a very difficult winter. We are also hearing from those who supply our businesses in the ancillary industries, that they are now starting to find things very, very difficult."