Brussels, 31/08/2015 (Agence Europe) - The agriculture ministers of Spain, France, Italy and Portugal proposed intervention measures on Friday 28 August to support milk prices, after falls have caused hardship for European Union farms.
Following a meeting in Madrid, the Spanish minister, Isabel Garcia Tejerina, set out the four countries' proposals ahead of the Agriculture Council on 7 September, AFP reports. They are calling for an increase in the intervention price above which member states may remove skimmed milk powder from the market in order to support prices. “We understand that it has to be limited in time but we believe that it will send a signal to the market that will be decisive in raising prices”, she stated.
The four ministers also call on the Commission again to authorise cheese storage, the goal here too being to prevent prices collapsing. Lastly, they call on the Commission to introduce a 50% increase in early payments to producers for next year, which can be paid from mid-October.
France “is hoping that the proposals that were made public in Madrid will attract the support of the Germans and Poles”, said an adviser to the minister (our translation throughout).
The ministers also called for campaigns to promote dairy products in Europe and abroad. (Lionel Changeur)