Vol. 438 No. 7
33 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the effect on returns to Irish milk producers of the 5 per cent reduction in butter intervention prices proposed by the EU Agriculture Commissioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The returns to Irish milk producers depend ultimately on the market returns from the product into which their milk is transformed, the share of that return retained by processors, and the extent to which they choose to reply on market supports. The effect on Irish milk prices of the Commission proposal, if approved by the Council of Ministers, would therefore depend on the response of Irish processors to the new situation.
