(Luxembourg, 14th September 2015) This time the European Ministers of Agriculture were no doubt expecting a relaxed atmosphere for their informal meeting in Luxembourg. That is, without dairy farmers and without protests.
Yet, in view of the disappointing outcome of the summit meeting last week, dairy farmers of the European Milk Board (EMB) are in no mood for politicians to just return to “business as usual”. There first have to be sound solutions on the table for a long-term improvement to the tense situation on the milk market. The decisions announced after the Agriculture Council of 7th September seem more of a shot in the dark and do not offer any solution to the current crisis. So during the visit to a farm in northern Luxembourg, EMB dairy farmers kettled the decision-makers with their tractors, so as to confront them again with their demands:
“There will be time for farm visits and excursions to the countryside once the work has been done!”, said Fredy de Martines, President of LDB Luxemburg and member of the European Milk Board. The ministers ought to start working now and introduce structural measures to improve the milk market situation.
It is high time sustainable mechanisms were used to regulate milk volumes in times of crisis. Proposals have been put forward for this with the European Milk Board’s Market Responsibility Programme. Dairy farmers will not be satisfied until their proposals are discussed seriously.
European milk producers’ demands:
- Cost-covering milk prices and a crisis instrument, the Market Responsibility Programme (MRP), NOW!
- The money from the super-levy must be used immediately to finance voluntary production cuts in order to reduce the overall milk volume!
The press release as PDF document
Contacts:
EMB President Romuald Schaber (DE): + 49 (0)160 352 4703
EMB press contact: Astrid Sauvage (DE, EN, FR): +32 (0)2 808 1935
