Italian dairies can survive without quotas - minister

Italy's dairy sector will survive the ending of European Union milk production limits in 2015, agriculture minister Mario Catania told Reuters.

"Prices will be lower and force us to be more competitive," Catania said in an interview on Saturday. "But the system will hold up."

While the agro-food industry contributes more than 15 percent to the euro zone's third-biggest economy, an opaque distribution chain and a fragmented farmer community have dragged on growth in the sector.