The message of the European milk producers to the EU agriculture ministers is clear. In the event that the EU Council is unable to pass any sensible resolutions at its current meeting, the EMB will present its own measures at today's rally.


Several thousand dairy farmers affiliated to the European Milk Board (EMB) are right now making their way from numerous European countries to the city of Luxemburg, where a large-scale rally is set to take place at 1.00 this afternoon, in front of the venue in which EU agriculture ministers are meeting. The motto of the rally is "No subsidies in the milk sector, only flexible production regulation".

"By halting their deliveries last month, milk producers succeeded in significantly reducing the pressure of volume on the market. Now it is up to the politicians to take the reins with short-term measures for managing production volumes. In particular, this means the restriction of netting across Europe and the immediate implementation of a voluntary suspension of partial quotas," said Romuald Schaber, President of the EMB this morning in the runup to the meeting of the agriculture ministers. "What the ministers have to do today is to set the course for flexible production controls which will adjust supply and demand in the medium and long term."

"It makes no sense when ministers talk about money, which then flows into the milk sector in the form of subsidies with little impact. Flexible production controls represent no extra burden to the taxpayer and can be an effective way of creating milk prices which are fair both to producers and consumers. To this end, a monitoring mechanism is to be set up in which milk producers, consumers, dairies and politicians take joint responsibility," said Sieta van Keimpema, Vice President of the EMB, emphasising the message of the European milk producers to the EU agriculture ministers.

"We are here to support those ministers who are working towards these measures. At our rally today, we will also be presenting our own steps that we will take in the event that the resolutions of the EU Agriculture Council this afternoon contain no sensible measures," said Fredy de Martines of the Luxemburg EMB organisation, the LDB.

Contact:   

        Romuald Schaber, EMB President (DE): 0049/1515503 7174
        Sieta van Keimpema,  EMB Vice president (NL, EN, DE): 0031/612168000
        Fredy de Martines, LDB Luxemburg (DE, FR): 00352/69 1998831
        Pascal Massol, President APLI, France (FR): 0033/670517303