Kevin O'Keeffe
Ceist:493. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the current volatility of milk prices. [23640/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 29 May 2018
Ceisteanna (493)
Freagraí scríofa
As the Deputy is aware, the Irish dairy market, following on from broader EU and international trends performed strongly in 2017 following a period of low prices in 2015 and 2016. Whilst prices have eased somewhat recently the overall dairy sector is now in a much better place overall than it has been in recent years.
I am very conscious of the pressure volatility in dairy markets can exert on farmers and I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to utilising all measures at our disposal, including EU market measures such as intervention, aids to private storage and exceptional market measures, as necessary. Whilst there is a significant overhang of intervention stocks of skimmed milk powder in the EU, there has been a substantial reduction of in excess of 70,000 tonnes of SMP in the last number of tenders for the sale of intervention stocks ran by the European Commission. This is, I believe, a positive step in dealing with these stocks and reflects an overall stabilisation of the market for SMP.
Ireland is strongly positioned as a competitive producer of dairy products. It has enviable natural resources, adaptable and resilient producers, a strong international reputation, an effective dairy processing sector and a strong core of research infrastructure and expertise. All of these factors are necessary to mitigate the effects of volatility of milk prices at farmgate level. My Department will continue to work with our partners in the industry to develop measures which can minimise the effects of price volatility in the future and ensure sustainable growth.