Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 433: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will intervene in the crisis situation which has arisen where a co-op (details supplied) is penalising farmers for low levels of lactose in the milk supplies and where some farmers are in a position that they have to pay the co-op instead of the other way around; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3514/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The price paid to milk suppliers is a commercial decision between the supplier and purchaser over which I have no influence. Traditionally, milk has been paid for on the basis of its butterfat content but in practice nowadays, processors test for a number of other constituents, including protein, lactose, SCC and TBC levels when calculating the price payable to any given supplier for the milk.

I understand that a Co-Op has notified its suppliers that it requires milk to have minimum lactose content of at least 4.2% and that it imposes a price penalty where this level is not achieved. This is a matter for the Society itself and it is not open to me to intervene.

As part of the partnership agreement Towards 2016 my Department will extend its monitoring and cross checking of the milk testing regime to include all constituents used for payment purposes and, in consultation with the partners, shall ensure transparency in the milk testing regime.