UFU: No Room for Complacency in the Dairy Sector
NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - The Ulster Farmers’ Union has warned that there is no room for complacency in the local dairy sector, despite a welcome rise prices at the recent Northern Ireland milk auction. The UFU has held talks with a wide range of stakeholders in the dairy sector, including a meeting with the leadership of United Dairy Farmers to advocate the Unions Dairy Roadmap.
28 August 2009
1 minute read
UFU President Graham Furey said, "All our meetings have been positive and constructive. There is a collective desire across the industry for the Northern Ireland dairy sector to weather this crisis and return to profitability. The recent up-turn in prices at the milk auction was a boost and we hope that the recovery will continue in the months ahead. However there is no room for complacency and that continues to be our message; the improvement in prices at the auction must be built upon in the coming months and we will be continuing to urge processors, retailers and banks to do everything they can to ensure producers return to profitability. The global dairy market is improving and the benefits of this must be felt at the farm gate."
The UFU Dairy Road Map contains proposals for: adjustments to the auction system; the need for the EU to use market support measures effectively; maximising returns for producers from local dairy products which are retailed; and the need for innovation, strong marketing and restructuring in the local dairy processing industry. The UFU has also initiated a research project at AFBI to reassess the optimum on-farm production systems for producers.
TheCattleSite News Desk
