Crying Over Spilled Milk

(Thumbnail image from Flicker user Teemu Mäntynen)

Dairy farmers protested outside the European Union’s emergency dairy meeting on Monday to show their anger over the lack of EU regulations in the dairy farming industry. An excess of milk has caused dairy prices to drop internationally, leaving dairy farmers in danger of losing their farms and livelihood. (Footage from the BBC)

We are looking at perspectives from France 24, Farmers Weekly Interactive, the NRA Handelsblad and the BBC.

On France 24’s segment “Face Off,” a milk producer and a dairy analyst debate about the problem confronting milk producers internationally. Their debate shows the gap between the bureaucracy and farmer.

“We are already seeing a correction of the situation and the good news is that there will be improvements of global markets in Europe.”

“There’s only one problem that it’ll come far too late for lots and lots of producers and if we can regulate the market now, increase prices fast within the two months to come we can save quite a lot of dairy farmers. If we don’t then lots of farmers will start producing.”

European business reporter Mark Sanders for the BBC explains that much of the EU’s budget already goes towards agriculture and the EU is hesitant to give farmers additional financial support.

“They feel that the level of intervention that they’ve introduced has been appropriate. Let’s hear now to get an idea of the certain ideas the commissioner of the USD from the EU’s agriculture spokesman Michael Mann.

‘We’re spending about 600 million Euros this year supporting the dairy market by buying out certain products for example, in reform of the CAP in 2003, the dairy sector got an additional 5 billion Euros every year in direct aid from the European Union to compensate for price cuts.’”

Phil Clark’s Business Blog for Farmers Weekly Interactive says that the farmers’ demands of the EU were not going to be met quickly. He speculates that it is going to take a while before farmers see any positive action.

“For while there has been plenty of discussion in Brussels today about ways of sorting out the crisis in the dairy sector in the medium term, no ground has been given on some of the key demands of Europe’s protesting farmers.”

Finally, the NRA Handelsblad in The Netherlands reacts to dairy farmers’ protests. Many of the farmers have dumped their excess milk rather than selling it at bargain prices, which has upset many people.

“While there is sympathy for the farmer’s position, many people are offended by the waste of perfectly good milk.

‘It is a sad picture at a time when a billion people are hungry.’ -- Harm Evert Waalkens, Member of Parliament, the Netherlands

We want to know what you think the EU should do about these rising milk prices. We’d love to hear your thoughts…