The IFA met with Coveney in advance of his meeting with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan in Brussels on Thursday. Coveney will be pushing for six measures from the European Commission at Thursday’s meeting, which include an increase in the intervention price for skim milk powder and butter as well as the restoration of Aid to Private Storage for cheese, which was introduced by the Commission in September 2014, but has since been discontinued.

Announcing details of a protest by farmers outside the EU Commission offices in Dublin next Monday, 31 August, IFA President Eddie Downey said the failure of the EU to move decisively to safeguard farm incomes is a serious threat to viability. “Minister Coveney is in Brussels today to meet Commissioner Hogan and we made it very clear that he must deliver a strong message that support for farm families is urgently needed.”

After his meeting with Commissioner Hogan, Coveney tweeted that it was a very good meeting that focussed on the dairy and pig sectors:

In recent weeks, the IFA has been in contact with farming organisations across Europe and this week the organisation held further discussions with the FNSEA (National Cause for Agriculture in France) ahead of a major protest organised by COPA and COGECA in Brussels on Monday 7 September.

Downey said there is widespread backing for the IFA position that producers have to be supported. This is due to an understanding that political decisions by the EU in relation to the Russian ban have contributed massively to the current problems.

IFA National Dairy Committee chairman Sean O’Leary added: “For dairy farmers, whose margins have come down 92% in the last 16 months, we need the EU Commission to fulfil its legal obligation under regulation 1308/2013 and review the intervention reference thresholds in light of increased production costs and raise those prices to provide a genuine safety net reflecting higher costs. This would send an immediate and longer term message to global buyers that EU dairy products cannot be bought below cost.”

Tillage farmers are also facing massive challenges, as highlighted by the IFA National Grain Committee chairman Liam Dunne, who said the EU Commission has failed to recognise the serious income challenge facing 11,000 full-time and part-time tillage farmers.

“For the third year in a row grain prices are insufficient to cover production costs. In addition, the onerous greening requirements coupled with a significant cut in growers’ basic and greening payment scheme will aggravate the already serious income situation,” he said.

IFA Pigs Committee chairman Pat O’Flaherty said pig farmers across Ireland and the EU are in a serious loss-making situation and it is critical that the EU Commission look to re-open markets, including Russia, for pork products.