Turn up the volume, please?

摘要

The EU Council of Ministers' decision to increase quotas by 2% from April offers no gain to British dairy farmers. It may indeed harm them if in a market with tight stocks, a small increase in supplies has a disproportionate downward effect on milk prices. Or, if other countries can now access our expanding markets. Other countries have complained that the 2% is not enough. Nor is the Commission's proposed 4 × 1 % quota increases between 2010 and 2013, which will form the basis of the Health Check. It won't even come close to the extra demand and shows a lack of conviction by the Commission for ending milk quotas altogether in 2015.