Allister meets APPG on dairy farming in Brussels
05 April 2007
Jim Allister MEP this week hosted the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dairy Farming. The group is chaired by Tory MP Daniel Kawczynshi and were in Brussels lobbying the Agricultural Commissioner Fischer Boel and head of the European Parliament Agricultural Committee Neil Parish. The group includes the Member of Parliament for South Antrim William McCrea.
Jim Allister commented, “The APPG were in Brussels this week lobbying on behalf of the UK dairy industry. The group were in Brussels lobbying key officials on a number of issues including the issue of voluntary modulation, the future of milk quotas and the power of the multiple retailers.
“The APPG on dairy farming have recently published a report which called for fairer milk prices to be paid by retailers and processors and for the formation of a powerful industry regulator. The report highlighted the fact that over the last 15 years the price of milk in the shops had increased by 11%. During the same period the price paid to farmers had fallen by 10%.
“Despite a smaller percentage of Northern Ireland milk being sold direct as liquid milk this group is still of importance to Northern Ireland farmers. It is vital that the price paid for dairy products throughout the UK increases to ensure that a viable diary industry survives within the UK.”
