As the global dairy market continues to show signs of weakness, the president of the ICMSA has said that measures to avoid volatility are still required.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, John Comer said that farm leaders in Ireland and Europe need to work together to ensure farmers are protected in the post-quota era.

“There needs to be mitigation for volatility. That is a must,” Comer said. “There has to be an onus on farm leaders here and in Europe to ensure that farmers are protected and are not left exposed,” he added.

Following a fourth successive price decrease at the Global Dairy Trade auction in New Zealand on Tuesday, sentiment in the global dairy sector remains weak with confidence low.

Comer acknowledges that challenges lie ahead in Europe.

“While the global dairy supply was up almost 4% last year, even with quotas here, 60% of that increase was produced in Europe.

“The US is correcting itself after a spike, but Europe is going to be a challenge to manage as we find our feet in a sector without quotas,” Comer said.

However, despite his concerns, Comer is positive for the Irish dairy sector.

“My view of the world is simple: when everything is going well then we should be happy. The nutritional benefit of dairy products is now globally accepted.

“We’re adding value to those products. When milk prices were up on 39c/litre, consumers didn’t balk, so the potential is there. The only fly in the ointment is supply, which must be addressed,” Comer concluded.