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Farmers plan protest outside EU Commission office

Farmers want the European Commission in Brussels to review its pricing structures
Farmers want the European Commission in Brussels to review its pricing structures Farmers want the European Commission in Brussels to review its pricing structures

FARMERS’ protests over prices are set to move from supermarkets to the office of the European Commission in Belfast.

William Taylor, from Farmers for Action, said a protest is planned for outside the Commission offices at the end of August.

Farmers have been calling on the EU to review pricing structures for its products.

Protests have been ongoing throughout the north amidst anger by dairy farmers that supermarkets have been selling milk at a loss, action which they claim threatens dairy farms with closure.

Dairy farmers claim they are receiving around 10p less per litre of milk than last summer.

Retailers have blamed global economic trends for the price slump affecting farmers.

Mr Taylor said: "Consumers are paying enough, the price people are paying is fine, but we just want our share of the cake."

"The reality is that milk was the last commodity to give a return allowing farmers to pay their bills and this is now no longer the case."

Mr Taylor said the farmers group was calling for proper legislation "stating that farmers have to be paid a minimum of the cost of production plus a margin inflation linked."

He said: "In short, this farming crisis is on the scale of the banking crisis across the UK and it is time to apportion the blame where it clearly lies."

"Every move that has been made in recent years including the demise of milk quotas has suited corporate food retailers, corporate food wholesalers and to a lesser extent processors across the EU."

Mr Taylor said he personally knew of farmers being forced to resort to foodbanks in recent weeks due to the drop in revenues.

One dairy farmer involved in a protest at Lidl’s distribution centre in Nutts Corner, Co Antrim, on Tuesday evening, also said farmers were "not calling for an increase" on the price paid by customers.

Jonny Matthews said: "We are not looking to put the price up. It is the cost of production we are concerned about."

"A kilo of lamb is selling in supermarkets for £13 and it costs us £2.90 a kilo to produce. Where is the other £10 going?"

He added: "The Agriculture Minister could start by releasing funds being used to transfer DARD staff to Ballykelly and start protecting the agriculture industry."

Several farmers involved in the Lidl protest said they had been contacted by the company offering talks "to arrange a price going forward" in return for calling off protests outside its distribution centres.

A Lidl spokesman did not confirm whether that claim was correct, but said the company would continue to engage with farmers.