Was reading this Scottish Farmer article and can't help but notice the similarity to the demise of the CWB. The same hollow ideology of the holy grail of global marketplace and the "dereliction of Government responsibility" as one person said.
"NOW THAT Europe's milk quota system is no more, the big food conglomerates are going to 'fill their boots' on the back of an over-supplied buyer's market.
That was the warning from the European Milk Board this week, as it led protests outside the European Parliament at the EU's failure to put in place any controls against a flood of over-production.
"Thanks to the expected milk surplus, as of now conglomerates will dictate terms and conditions to the farmers even more than before," predicted EMB president, Romuald Schaber. "Prices will be rock-bottom, as Europe's farmers will have even less market power to achieve a cost-covering milk price in the future.
"Without an effective crisis instrument, dairy farmers will be facing rock-bottom prices time and again; many of them will be catapulted out of milk production very soon."
As the quota era ended at the turn of the month, dairy farmers from all over the EU held a solemn vigil outside the European Parliament - compete with fire and funeral march - to let the politicians know about their "dereliction of duty".
"The system for the period after the milk quotas is severely deficient," said EMB vice-chairman, Sieta van Keimpema. "Unfortunately, politicians have failed to put suitable market instruments in place to prevent a crisis. It is most likely that dairy farmers in many EU countries will step up production considerably when the quota system ends - without the market being able to offload the whole volume in any reasonable way. Chronic price collapses are inevitable."
By contrast, the European Dairy Association was delighted at the prospect of unlimited milk production after three decades of quota control.
"The end of the milk quota is one more step in towards market orientation of the Common Agricultural Policy," said EDA secretary general Alexander Anton. "A step that has been prepared for in a political process that started in 2003. The dairy sector, dairy farmers and their milk processing companies are prepared for this step," he insisted.
"Increased market transparency is key since it will allow all actors in the dairy sector to take the right business decisions and, in consequence, to better manage the price and cost volatility, which is and has always been a natural market phenomenon.
"For decades dairy companies have been in charge of managing the milk quota system at their level, including the levying of the super levy payments.
"It goes without saying that the end of the quota will lower the administrative burden at all levels. This will naturally further enhance the competitiveness of the whole sector," he added.
EDA stressed the favourable prospects for dairy in the medium and long term, echoing the Commission's statement that "milk is the white gold of the next ten years" thanks to increasing global demand, especially from Asia and Africa.
Dairy UK chief executive, Dr Judith Bryans, commented: "Although quotas may have been considered as an appropriate response at the time of their introduction, they also held back the development of a truly efficient and competitive European dairy industry over the last 30 years.
"However, it is now time for the European industry to play a greater role in the global market."
"NOW THAT Europe's milk quota system is no more, the big food conglomerates are going to 'fill their boots' on the back of an over-supplied buyer's market.
That was the warning from the European Milk Board this week, as it led protests outside the European Parliament at the EU's failure to put in place any controls against a flood of over-production.
"Thanks to the expected milk surplus, as of now conglomerates will dictate terms and conditions to the farmers even more than before," predicted EMB president, Romuald Schaber. "Prices will be rock-bottom, as Europe's farmers will have even less market power to achieve a cost-covering milk price in the future.
"Without an effective crisis instrument, dairy farmers will be facing rock-bottom prices time and again; many of them will be catapulted out of milk production very soon."
As the quota era ended at the turn of the month, dairy farmers from all over the EU held a solemn vigil outside the European Parliament - compete with fire and funeral march - to let the politicians know about their "dereliction of duty".
"The system for the period after the milk quotas is severely deficient," said EMB vice-chairman, Sieta van Keimpema. "Unfortunately, politicians have failed to put suitable market instruments in place to prevent a crisis. It is most likely that dairy farmers in many EU countries will step up production considerably when the quota system ends - without the market being able to offload the whole volume in any reasonable way. Chronic price collapses are inevitable."
By contrast, the European Dairy Association was delighted at the prospect of unlimited milk production after three decades of quota control.
"The end of the milk quota is one more step in towards market orientation of the Common Agricultural Policy," said EDA secretary general Alexander Anton. "A step that has been prepared for in a political process that started in 2003. The dairy sector, dairy farmers and their milk processing companies are prepared for this step," he insisted.
"Increased market transparency is key since it will allow all actors in the dairy sector to take the right business decisions and, in consequence, to better manage the price and cost volatility, which is and has always been a natural market phenomenon.
"For decades dairy companies have been in charge of managing the milk quota system at their level, including the levying of the super levy payments.
"It goes without saying that the end of the quota will lower the administrative burden at all levels. This will naturally further enhance the competitiveness of the whole sector," he added.
EDA stressed the favourable prospects for dairy in the medium and long term, echoing the Commission's statement that "milk is the white gold of the next ten years" thanks to increasing global demand, especially from Asia and Africa.
Dairy UK chief executive, Dr Judith Bryans, commented: "Although quotas may have been considered as an appropriate response at the time of their introduction, they also held back the development of a truly efficient and competitive European dairy industry over the last 30 years.
"However, it is now time for the European industry to play a greater role in the global market."
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