29/01/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 29 January, the Council of the EU formally adopted the European Commission proposal that automatic intervention on powdered milk should be suspended in 2018. The regulation sets the ceiling for the buying-in of skimmed milk powder at a fixed price during the public intervention period which begins on 1 March at zero tonnes for 2018, compared with the usual 109,000 tonnes. The European Commission will, if necessary, open calls for offers to intervene as required in the event of market disruption. It will, however, be looking principally to get rid of the stocks of close to 400,000 tonnes accumulated in 2016. At the meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels, France and Belgium called on the Commission to find ways to dispose of these stocks while remaining careful not to destabilise the market.