2015 Will Make or Break Spain’s Dairy Sector
SPAIN – This year will mark the future of Spanish dairying, says a producer organisation lobbying to level the playing field for farmers ahead of quota abolition.
9 January 2015
1 minute read
Farmers have much to fear, according to the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA), which stressed going into unchartered territory would pressure Spanish prices.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s dairy package rules are being flouted, with processors using rules “perversely”, pressuring farmers into accepting “draconian” contract conditions.
UPA livestock secretary, Roman Santalla, represented these views and others at an EU parliament committee on Wednesday.
He reiterated worries of member states “still dumping” milk on Spain’s market, which domestically consumes 9 million tonnes, toppling the price and hurting the market for the 6.5 million tonnes of milk produced in the country.
He told the committee: “We need a clear and level playing field. Without this, liberalization could mean our demise.”
He added that some supply chain segments are prefer “speculation and anarchy”, while asking politicians to strengthen reforms on milk market rules.
“Farmers also require new and more powerful elements of market crisis management, “ said Mr Santalla.
"With the Russian veto, its not enough. Countries are still dumping, with milk entering Spain from other countries and sinking prices.”
He championed sustainable dairying built on family farm systems as a model for the country’s future.
TheCattleSite News Desk
