Dairy Industry Ireland (DII), the representative body of Irish co-ops and dairy processors, has reiterated its call for the Government to introduce priority COVID-19 testing for what it terms ‘ultra-critical’ technical staff in milk plants to prevent any loss of milk processing capacity in the peak supply months of May and June.

DII has also called for the European Commission to expand its recently introduced private storage scheme. The industry body said the recent opening of private storage in Europe was welcome, but as it stands is totally inadequate and needs major extension for increased volumes of product.

DII made the recommendations as part of a 240-page strategy document published on Tuesday by employer’s group Ibec, which provides a recovery plan for the Irish economy in the months and years ahead.

Ibec’s Reboot and Reimagine plan calls on the Irish Government to commit a further €15bn in business supports and investments to help restart Ireland’s economy after COVID-19. The plan calls for debt write-offs for businesses, low or zero cost loans, cash grants to SME’s for social distancing investments and the reintroduction of the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector.