Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for the information he has provided. He is fully aware of my opinion on this matter which is a serious issue in County Cork and across the country. Did he receive solid support from the French Minister for Agriculture in their discussions last Friday? According to the information available earlier this year, France was among the countries which were unwilling to enter into further negotiations on a European wide milk quota. The Minister referred to flexibility on butterfat potentially facilitating an increase in milk quota of between 1.5% and 2% this year. Is this is a serious possibility? While we must be responsible in advising farmers to remain within the milk quota, a number of policy decisions in recent years have placed farmers in an impossible position this year in terms of the amount of stock they have as they gear up for 2015 and beyond. As the Minister correctly noted, the farmers in question are taking a progressive approach. I ask him to elaborate on the views expressed by the French minister and the likelihood of achieving a butterfat correction.

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