Highlights

© European Communities

Subject to approval by ECOFIN Ministers, 280 million euro should be allocated to the milk sector in 2010 following a Council meeting on 19 October. This was part of a package of emergency measures adopted by the EU's Agricultural ministers to stabilise the situation on the milk market and come to the assistance of dairy farmers.

Other measures in the package cover the extension of the intervention period for butter and skimmed milk powder, the possibility to allow a quicker response to future market disturbances, when prices raise or fall, and some temporary changes in the operation of quota buying-up schemes to allow Member States to improve the restructuring of the dairy sector on a national basis.

More information:
Council Press release (pdf) 
Council webcast of press conference