MILK QUOTA INCREASE GOOD NEWS FOR LOCAL FARMERS AND CONSUMERS

8.27.00pm GMT Fri 14th Mar 2008

Local farmers should soon be allowed to produce more milk, allowing increasing consumer demand to be satisfied. The European Parliament voted this week in favour of European Commission proposals for an increase of 2% in production from the 1st of April, as part of the gradual phasing out of quotas by 2015.

Speaking today, local Euro-MP Liz Lynne, LibDem European Agriculture Spokesperson for England and Wales, said:

"This sensible move will head off any dramatic retail price rises in milk which might be caused by restricted supply and increasing consumers demand. It also avoids any major fall in prices paid to suppliers, which any knee-jerk full liberalisation might have caused.

"This is part of an ongoing process to steadily open up the milk market over the coming years and is voluntary, so national governments are free to decide if this gradual loosening of restrictions is right for their national markets, but in all probability, this will come in in April for the UK."