Press Release: Conference “What future for Milk?” on Friday, 26 March 2010

More than 400 delegates from all parts of the dairy supply chain plus political and administrative stakeholders attended a Conference in Brussels on 26 March 2010 to discuss the prospects for the dairy sector against the background of recent extreme price volatility and a future milk production without quotas. The event was opened by EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolo, who described the Conference as "an important part of the process of preparing the sector for the challenges and opportunities ahead". Prices paid to dairy farmers fell to particularly low levels in spring 2009 – well below the costs of production for many farmers. The Commission's use of market support tools, notably public intervention and private storage aid, was instrumental in putting a floor in the market and helping not only to stabilise prices but also creating the foundation for the recovery later in the year. The conference discussed important issues currently on the agenda of the High Level Group on Milk.