asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries what price per gallon will be paid for milk delivered to creameries following this country's accession to the EEC; and whether every creamery will be compelled to pay that price.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Creamery Milk Price.
97.
Mr. O'Donnell
On Ireland's accession to the EEC the price for milk delivered to creameries here will be governed by the Community's regulations which provide for a target price for milk supported by intervention prices for butter and skim milk powder. These intervention prices are currently fixed at levels designed to support a common target price of about 20 new pence per gallon of whole milk of 3.5 per cent butterfat, delivered dairy. This targetprice, however, is not a guaranteed price as such and the prices which will be received by producers will depend not only on the level of the intervention prices but also on the ruling market prices for dairy products and on the efficiency of the creamery concerned.
For the transitional period the arrangements proposed are that special intervention prices for butter and skim milk powder will be fixed for each of the applicant countries and that these will be increased gradually to the levels of the common intervention prices in six steps commencing on 1st April, 1973, and ending on 31st December, 1977.