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Europe must stay focussed on how to help dairy farmers says Nicholson

Conservative and Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has warned today that EU Leaders must remain focussed on helping dairy farmers and said that he expected more to come out of the special meeting of EU Farm Ministers held in Brussels this week.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

"Milk prices may have increased 19% locally, as the Commissioner pointed out, from July to September but our dairy farmers are still struggling and many are faced with the very real threat of going bust in this dangerous financial climate and my sympathies are with them. Sometimes I wonder whether the European Commission and EU Farm Ministers actually understand this.

"Farmers across Europe will not take this situation lying down and over the next few weeks I would expect there to be more milk strikes across Europe.

"The Agriculture Commissioner announced at the meeting the creation of a high - level group "to discuss medium and long-term arrangements for the dairy sector given the expiry of milk quotas on 1 April 2015. Creating this group is one thing, but whether it actually helps farmers is another."