Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It might be effective, but, unfortunately, it is farmers who have paid for it. I am very concerned that the Government has given another blank cheque to the European Commission to remove the floor price for skimmed milk powder in 2019. Only last April the Minister told me, "...my Department also engaged with the Commission on recent measures to limit further piling up of SMP in 2018 without due justification, including ensuring that the Commission's proposal to reduce the fixed price ceiling to zero be specified as for 2018 only, to avoid setting a precedent for the longer term." There has been a complete U-turn. Unfortunately, we are facing into 2019 with milk processors telling us that milk markets will be under pressure. It is unacceptable that the guarantees given to us last year have not been honoured, given that the Minister agreed to have no floor price for skimmed milk powder and said it was for one year only and would not happen again. We now see that we will be in a similar position in 2019 and this will affect the confidence of farmers. At the end of the day, this had an impact on milk prices in 2018 and, unfortunately, it will probably have a greater impact in 2019. It is not good enough that guarantees the Minister gave us last April have been reneged on.

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