Brussels, 29/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council of Ministers adopted the regulation on Tuesday 28 February that allows producer organisations constituted solely of dairy farmers or their associations to jointly negotiate contract terms, including price, with a dairy for some or all of its members' production. This text is the result of an agreement with the European Parliament (see EUROPE 10554). Luxembourg voted against the regulation and Ireland and the Netherlands abstained. Ireland and the Netherlands were unhappy that the text contains no measures to ensure a “soft
landing” for dairy farmers, though dairy quotas are to be abolished in 2015. They argued for a quota increase or adjustment of fat corrective factors. Luxembourg said it was “disappointed” at there being no measures to ensure a soft landing and called on the Commission to make appropriate proposals in due course. (LC/transl.rt)