Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting being held today (Thursday) between a group of dairy farmers and Stormont’s agriculture committee, Northern Ireland dairy farmers say they cannot survive on the current milk prices (£0.19/l) and are calling for an increase in intervention prices.

Keith Russell, a Tyrone dairy farmer, said that with his milk price at 0.19p per litre when his costs are closer to 24-26p per litre his business is not sustainable. “We have got ridiculously bad prices over the past months and it’s getting worse. We’re young men who have taken out loans and all we want is to get paid a fair wage and our produce get a fair price,” said Russell.

Farmers have made the point that while it is summer now and costs are relatively low the real pinch is going to come in the winter when costs go up from winter housing.

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Agriculture committee chairman William Irwin, a farmer himself, said he understands what farmers are going through and that the industry needs to send a message to the EU Commissioner Phil Hogan to show there is a crisis in Northern Ireland’s dairy industry.

Jo Anne Dobson, a member of the agriculture committee who had requested the meeting between the committee and a group of dairy farmers, said the government owes it to farmers to secure the future of the dairy industry.

“The minister and the department must take action because we can’t continue the way we are going at present. We are going to lose so many farmers from the countryside which will have such a negative impact on our rural economy and our rural community.”