All roads lead to Brussels for next Monday’s crucial Farm Council meeting, with a massive turnout of farmers protesting about milk prices in particular expected. All week, farmers have been voicing the extent of their income issues in their own countries, with 1,000 tractors converging on Paris on Thursday.

There is a sense that Europe, consumed with the refugee/immigrant crisis and the Greek economy through the summer months, is largely unaware of the extent of the difficulties farming is facing. This is likely to change next week.

Minister’s priorities

Minister Simon Coveney has already outlined his policy priorities for the meeting, with a six-point plan including increases in threshold prices for dairy commodities, aids to private storage for cheese and pigmeat, utilisation of superlevy revenues for dairy support measures, and “exceptional promotion measures for dairy and pigmeat products”.

For his part, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan will confirm the accelerated advance payment of EU basic payments. In addition, the Commissioner is expected to unveil “a package of proposals” to the EU’s agriculture ministers. A spokesman said the Commissioner has reflected on the views expressed in a round of meetings with 15 agriculture ministers from around Europe, including Simon Coveney, and a host of farm leaders.

As well as market supports, the Commissioner will be raising the issue of food chain equity, where he has cited the progress being made in Spain and the UK in terms of meaningful regulatory protection for suppliers to retailers.

IFA president Eddie Downey led a large protest outside the EU Commission’s Dublin offices on Monday. He said immediate action by the EU Commission is needed to resolve the income crisis facing farming, especially the grain, dairy and pigs sectors.

ICMSA will be present with the European Milk Board, representing dairy farmer organisations from across Europe, many of which opposed the abolition of quotas. Calling for the Farm Council meeting to deliver “a realistic base price for EU milk”, ICMSA president John Comer observed that average dairy farmer income for 2015 so far has fallen to approximately €9,300.

“This is about €2,300 less than someone on a 39-hour week minimum wage has earned over the same period,” he said.