Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr. Tony Killeen T.D., has welcomed the decision of the Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets to increase export refunds for butter, skimmed milk powder and whole milk powder.

The Clare T.D. also welcomed the Committee’s decision to accept into intervention all quantities of butter and skimmed milk powder offered, while maintaining the intervention purchase prices.

He added: “I am pleased that the market management mechanisms are now being further expanded to deal with the very difficult dairy market situation that we are currently facing.  Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith and I will continue to maintain the strongest political pressure to ensure that the Community plays its full part in helping to restore the dairy sector to a sound trading position”.

The moves means that a further 2,310 tonnes of butter (645 tonnes Irish) and 22,688 tonnes of SMP (4,651 tonnes Irish) were purchased into intervention bringing the totals since the commencement of these schemes to 79,625 tonnes (14,917 tonnes Irish) and 183,922 tonnes respectively (22,766 tonnes Irish). In addition, some 88,489 tonnes of butter has been aided under the Private Storage Scheme of which Irish butter accounts for almost 4,000 tonnes.

As regards export refunds the tender refund for butter was increased considerably, from EUR600 to EUR700 per tonne allowing for the export of an additional 1,644 tonnes. The SMP tender refund was also increased, from EUR220 to EUR240 per tonne allowing the export of 1,793 tonnes. Common refund rates for butter, SMP and WMP were increased commensurately while refunds for cheeses were maintained at EUR220 per tonne.

Minister Killeen said that the latest developments follow a meeting between the European Commissioner and Minister Smith who had stressed the need for intervention to take product permanently off the market through supporting exports, and also to maintain intervention prices at attractive levels enabling the maximum quantities to be temporarily removed from the market giving the commercial markets breathing space to rebound.

-ENDS-

Mark Dunphy
Dunphy Public Relations
www.dunphypr.com
media@dunphypr.com
00353-868534900

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