The president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) today vowed to put pressure on the incoming Minister for Agriculture to restore milk prices to &8364;1.27 per gallon at a rally in Dublin this afternoon.
Mr John Dillon told an estimated 4,000 farmers outside the European Union offices on Molesworth Street that the IFA would demand the Government takes its case to Europe and seek higher export refunds and aids from the Commission.
He demanded dairy prices be placed at the top of the agenda of the future Minister for Agriculture. The minister must then "get down and get working and deliver in Brussels", he said.
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Irish dairy farmers outside the EU offices on Molesworth Street in Dublin earlier today. Photograph: Alan Cummins
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He said the recent concessions from Brussels in the form of refunds and supports were not enough to protect the livelihood of Irish dairy farmers.
The IFA claims to have lost 30,000 members in the last few years because low returns had forced them out of business.
Mr Dillon argued that it was unreasonable for European farmers to have to compete with low prices on the world market and said Government action was needed to ensure EU defence of Irish exports.
"Let us be clear who caused the problem; America, New Zealand and Australia. These are the people who caused the problem. We have kept to quotas. In the last ten years New Zealand was up by 60 per cent, Australia was up by a staggering 70 per cent and the giant US industry was up by 10 per cent. They have rigged the world prices," he said.
"The European Commission and the Irish Government," Mr Dillon added, "cannot stand idly by and allow family farming in Europe to be sacrificed by the ranchers of Australia, New Zealand and America.
"We need open ended intervention for skimmed milk powder," he said. "We need to fight back on export refund and we need to win back markets."
The IFA plans to protest in Strasbourg next Tuesday to highlight their demands.