First IFA Regional Dairy Farm Income Meeting This Wednesday in Kilkenny
IFA President Joe Healy will open the first IFA Regional Dairy Farm Income meeting in Kilkenny on Wednesday night this week.
Taking place at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, from 8pm on Wednesday 14th September, the meeting will hear from IFA President Joe Healy; Glanbia and GII Chairman Henry Corbally; Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture Chairman and dairy farmer Pat Deering TD; and IFA National Dairy Chairman Sean O’Leary.
IFA President Joe Healy said, “In organising these meetings, we want to give dairy farmers in South Leinster, Connacht, North Leinster/Ulster and Munster an opportunity to make their voices heard about the real income crisis they have suffered in 2016. Milk prices have thankfully started on the recovery process, but there is a long way to go before they start to cover production costs”.
“Farmers will need every last cent passed back by their co-op that rapidly improving markets justify, and in the meantime, farmers will need cash flow support through the best possible utilisation of EU aids,” he said.
IFA National Dairy Chairman Sean O’Leary added: “The outlook for increased milk prices is good: global and EU dairy commodity prices have been increasing for the last four months, with EU average returns for an Irish product mix rising by nearly 8c/l in that period”.
“However, the next few months are seasonally the low ebb of production for spring milk producers, with meaningful volumes at stronger milk prices on the cards only from spring. Meanwhile, cash flow will remain a real challenge to meeting business bills as well as family needs,” he said.
“I urge fellow-dairy farmers to attend those meetings in good numbers, to send a clear message to your co-op and to government on the need for continued support for dairy farmers’ incomes and cash flow,” he concluded.
Other IFA Regional Dairy Farm Income Meetings will take place:
• Connacht: Monday 26th September 2016, 8pm, Bush Hotel, Carrick on Shannon
• North Leinster/Ulster: Monday 3rd October 2016, 8pm, Cavan Crystal Hotel, Cavan
• Munster: Monday 10th October, 2016, 8pm, Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown
