25 February 2008

FUW ATTENDS EU MILK RALLY

FUW vice president Brian Walters was the only dairy farmer from Wales and England at a rally in Brussels of 4,500 milk producers from 15 EU countries protesting against plans which may drive down the price they receive for their milk.

He represented the FUW at the European Milk Board's two-day international congress which passed a resolution stating: "We, the milk producers forming the European Milk Board (EMB), are determined to fight for our future and not to be sacrificed on the altar of free trade! "We feel it is the bounden duty of the European dairy industry in particular to follow suit.

Only if production costs can be covered does the dairy sector still have a future. "If the dairies refuse to cooperate with us to improve farming conditions and to pay milk prices that cover costs in full they risk milk deliveries being discontinued." Mr Walters, who runs an organic dairy farm near Carmarthen, said: "The meeting gave us a good opportunity to discuss and compare the various problems in dairy farming.

"A common theme that soon appeared was the lack of stability in the milk price and, despite the fact that most countries had seen an upward shift in the price per litre, most dairy farmers were nervous about the long-term prospects.

"Delegates felt that the formation of EMB was an important step to getting farmers across Europe to work together to achieve a milk price above the cost of production. Some countries felt that the proposed annual increase in milk quota and its abolition in 2015 was a backward step.

"The burden of legislation was similar in most countries with the Irish having the ability to work around most rules, UK rubber stamping everything and the French saying no to everything. "On the second day we experienced a passionate speech by EMB vice president Sieta van Keimpema, a farmer's wife from Holland, who shared her views on how we as dairy farmers should be able to receive a price above the cost of production with the processors adding on their costs.

"Dr Daniel-M Gouin, Chair of Agricultural Policy Analysis at Laval University in Quéébec, showed us the different market regulating systems from across the world with Canada having one of the longest existing quota systems and achieving one of the most stable milk price in the last 20 years.

"On the other hand New Zealand, with its free marketing, showed large fluctuations in price. This is backed up by a Netherlands milk report which shows that in the UK we only get 35 per cent of what the consumer pays for milk yet in Canada they achieve 54 per cent with USA at 31 per cent and Argentina at 20 per cent.

"A speaker greeted with anger was Lars Hoelgaard, Deputy Director of the EU Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture, who outlined the commission's plans to increase quota every year and abolish it in 2015.

"I was surprised at the strength of feeling from the militant audience but this was not true of all farmers at the congress and the Italian representatives bravely took to the platform to say so."

CAPTION - INTERNATIONAL LINE-UP: Brian Walters (second from left) prepares to present a scale model of a dairy cow painted in the colours of the Welsh national flag to Lars Hoelgaard, Deputy Director of the EU Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture, to remind MEPs of the significant role dairy farmers have in society by producing milk.

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