Nine months of low milk prices and rising input costs have left dairy farmers struggling to produce at current prices, the Irish Dairy Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has warned.
Noel Murphy, chair of the ICMSA’s dairy committee, said farmers were not interested in “sympathetic ears” but wanted a “quick and actionable plan” to get milk prices back up.
He believes the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Haydon, co-operatives and EU officials need to collaborate to work on the “milk price collapse”.
One solution according to Murphy is to introduce an EU-wide voluntary milk supply reduction scheme.
The European Commission took such measures in 2016 in response to “extraordinary market pressures” at the time after the abolition of milk quotas.
But according to Minister Haydon No formal proposal for a voluntary EU milk reduction plan has yet been submitted by the European Commission.
ICMSA Dairy Chair has called on Minister Haydon to use his position as chair of the EU Farm Council to push through the voluntary reduction scheme.
He believes the measure would “almost immediately” help raise milk prices.
Milk price
Murphy also pointed out that the milk price paid to farmers by Irish processors had not helped the current situation.
He doubted that the “support” provided by cooperatives was actually support “created by the farmers themselves; it is ultimately the farmers’ money that supports the farmers.”
“We would like dairy processors to be more transparent and upfront about returns from the market, and they should take advantage of the significant profits made during 2025 to bring farmers’ milk prices to a realistic level – and we include Ornua in this category.
“Everyone understands the pressures on butterfat, but we hear very little about the fact that protein and whey have seen significant improvements.
“Farmers are asking a very legitimate question: Do we see any benefits from these improved prices? The answer appears to be a resounding no,” he added.
