Earlier milk price negotiations
Deputy Noonan asked whether price negotiations could be brought forward to give dairy farmers an earlier indication of prices. The Minister acknowledged the losses caused by delays and said he would advocate an earlier fixing date, though negotiations may become more complex with EU enlargement.
(Limerick West): Is there any possibility that the price negotiations would be brought forward so as to ensure that dairy farmers particularly, because of the pattern of calving, would have an indication at the beginning of the year of what the milk prices for that year would be? In other words, could the price fixing be brought forward, say, to November or December?
Comment on this
That is a question that will have to be considered very carefully having regard to the continuing delays in price fixing. I am very much aware of the losses which farmers and especially dairy farmers suffer as a result of these delays, delays that sometimes go beyond 1 April. The price fixing negotiation system will probably become much more complicated with the accession of Spain and Portugal because there will then be 12 rather than ten members involved in the negotiations. The matter is something that I will be putting forward because I agree that we should seek an early price fixing date from the Commission.