Glanbia’s proposals to manage peak milk from 2022 are flawed and must be reconsidered in consultation with farmers, IFA president Tim Cullinan has said.

The comments came following a meeting of the IFA national dairy committee on Tuesday night.

“There was huge frustration at the meeting last night, not just from Glanbia’s suppliers, but from all farmers who are concerned about the precedent set by this decision,” Cullinan said.

“For 30 years, the European Union prevented Irish farmers from developing their business. Now, after only seven years, they are blocked again.”

Financial uncertainty

The IFA has said it will meet with Glanbia management on Wednesday.

“Nobody doubts that there is a challenge with processing milk at peak and that the archaic Irish planning system has contributed to the problem, but the proposals from Glanbia to address the problem are flawed,” Cullinan continued.

This system will not address the production problem in 2022

Chair of IFA’s national dairy committee Stephen Arthur said several aspects of the proposal need to change.

“We are now three weeks from the breeding season, and farmers will not be able to adjust their calving pattern. This system will not address the production problem in 2022,” Arthur warned.

“It will simply penalise farmers for running an efficient system.

“Glanbia has been encouraging farmers to expand, and many are now on an expansion pathway and find themselves with huge financial commitments and great uncertainty as to what the future holds."