Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Cahill raised the issue of price supports. In the new CAP, we will be seeking that all the policy instruments available now would be retained. The point he is making relates back to the changes that have taken place in the context of the skim milk powder issue this year. He should bear in mind that on the basis of our intervention it only applies to this year. It would be foolish to think that that level of overhang in the market would not become a depressant on prices anyway, with in excess of 370,000 tonnes involved. There is an issue there irrespective of whether we like it. We need to find a way to deal with that. With the increased output in the post-quota era, our dairy industry has been more market-focused than any other member state. We are adamant that those instruments be retained in the new CAP after 2020.