'˜NI milk strike now a possibility'

The lobby group says that recent statements from co-ops that they now want all the milk their farmer members can produce without any mention of a sustainable price for all milk to date, has prompted outrage from already hard pressed Northern Ireland dairy farmers trying to cope with an ongoing abysmal milk price made worse by an expensive wet summer.

FFA NI’s William Taylor stated: “It is in this context that FFA’s NI Steering Committee have decided FFA will hold a milk crisis meeting in late November (notification of which will be in the press three weeks in advance).

“All Northern Ireland dairy farmers will be welcome and a vote will be taken after the debate to have a milk strike unless corporate food retailers, corporate food wholesalers and co-op milk processors put their contempt for Northern Ireland dairy farmers behind them, put their heads together and immediately make clear month by month increases on the base price of all Northern Ireland farm gate milk purchases leading up to confirmation of 40p/l by December.

“Northern Ireland’s dairy farmers now have nothing to lose by striking as milk is in short supply, the EU reduction support is available and not forgetting that milk is worth approximately 10p/l as fertilizer. At long last this puts NI farmers in the driving seat where they now have the power to deliver fairness at the farm gate,” Mr Taylor added.