Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Groceries Sector: Discussion (Resumed) with Fresh Milk Producers
2:25 pm
Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Producing liquid milk at a loss of 9 cent per litre cannot be sustained and something must be done to ensure the industry survives. It was said that the deployment of a code of practice adjudicator is very important but it is not enough, and that the producers' negotiating hand must be strengthened by striking a better balance between farmers and processors. Could we expand on that more balanced approach?
The French system of data publication was mentioned, and the fact supermarkets have a 2% margin. Should we take that on board? The committee will try to address the operation of bloc exemptions trying to negotiate directly. What is the best way to go about that?