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DEAR SIR: I feel compelled to write to you following the article: NI milk could collapse in hard Brexit.
Minister Coveney stated that 40% of Northern Ireland’s (NI) milk is processed south of the border – I fail to see how this is the case, and it’ my understanding NI could process the majority of the milk it produces within its six counties.
The two largest co-ops, Dale Farm and Lakeland Dairies, have enough processing capacity within NI plants. Yes, some milk goes south for processing, but does Minister Coveney know some milk also travels north for processing?
Simon Coveney should be more worried about his Republic of Ireland (ROI) dairy farmers.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit scenario, they stand to lose one of their main markets for Irish dairy products, or be subject to tariffs and possibly a reduced CAP budget as well if the UK’s contribution to the EU central fund is removed from the equation.
A proportion of NI milk will be highly sought after to fill the demands of the UK market with its growing population – be it in processed products or raw milk being transported to the mainland for processing.
Milk moving across the Irish Sea in tanker-loads is nothing new and has been transported to manage supply and demand in both directions for many years. There is much uncertainty with Brexit, I can’t deny that, but that doesn’t make it all doom and gloom either. New opportunities will emerge and the dairy industry in NI will rise to the challenge.
No one wants a no-deal situation, but perhaps it is required if the EU bureaucrats are to ever drop their hard stance and enter into negotiations for the benefit of everyone concerned.
It’s comforting to know that Minister Coveney is concerned about Northern Ireland’s dairy farmers.
I can only hope that my fellow ROI dairy farmers feel equally comforted that Minister Coveney and Taoiseach Varadkar are doing their best to secure their futures during talks and negotiations with the EU bureaucrats.
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