Farmers push demands for more EU support over milk; 20 nations call for more protections

September 30th, 2009 Deal would offer $350M for struggling milk farmersWASHINGTON — Lawmakers from dairy-producing states announced agreement Wednesday on $350 million in aid for struggling milk farmers. Some $290 million would go for direct support of dairy farmers under a program to be devised by the Agriculture Department, according to Rep.

September 18th, 2009 Euro farmers dump milk to protest price slumpPARIS — Angry French farmers dumped millions of liters of fresh milk next to one of France's most famous tourist sites on Friday to denounce the slumping cost of milk and an EU plan to end production quotas, which could further drive prices down. APLI, a small dairy farmer's union that organized the protest, said over 1,000 farmers and 300 tractors took part in the event, pouring 3,5 million liters (925,000 gallons) of milk onto fields next to the famed Mont Saint-Michel.

September 17th, 2009 Program asks consumers to help New England farmersRICHMOND, Vt. — Several New England states are urging consumers to chip in and save the region's dwindling dairy farms, which are struggling with record-low milk prices.

September 17th, 2009 EU offers extra help to ease dairy crisisSTRASBOURG, France — The European Commission on Thursday promised extra steps to combat sinking dairy prices but insisted it would not abandon long-term farm reforms that include phasing out milk quotas after 2015. Faced with farmers spilling vast amounts of milk on roads and farmlands around Europe to protest sagging milk prices, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said she will propose to cut red tape to be able "spring into action in the future if we hit further problems in the dairy sector." She also suggested that a European dairy futures market could stabilize prices and said she would study if better long-term contracts between farmers and the dairy industry can improve supply and demand.

September 16th, 2009 EU farmers in white heat over milk pricesBRUSSELS — Belgian farmers sprayed 3 million liters (790,000 gallons) of fresh milk onto their fields Wednesday, furious over the low milk prices they say are bankrupting farmers. Milk farmers' groups said world prices had sunk so much they are having to sell milk at half their production costs, leaving more and more farmers unable to pay their bills.

September 15th, 2009 Senators call for more support to dairy farmersWASHINGTON — Flanked by a cow named Maggie — and six of his Senate colleagues — Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling for the House to pass an amendment increasing price supports to dairy farmers.

July 31st, 2009 USDA will aid struggling dairy farmsWASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department is helping struggling dairy farmers by raising the price the government pays for milk and cheddar cheese through a dairy price support program. The department estimates the temporary increases, which will be in place until October, will boost dairy farmers' overall revenue by $243 million.

July 22nd, 2009 Angry dairy farmers block streets in BrusselsBRUSSELS — Hundreds of angry Belgian farmers blocked streets with tractors and faced down police outside the European Union's headquarters Wednesday demanding officials help reverse a recent collapse in prices of milk, cheese, butter and other dairy products. They called on the EU to lower the amount of milk a European is allowed to produce each year to ease a glut that has caused a 50 percent drop in milk prices over the last year and forced the farmers to sell below cost.

June 25th, 2009 ANAND - Amul has been ranked amongst the top 21 largest dairy businesses in the world as per the findings published by International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) at the 10th IFCN Dairy Conference 2009 at Stockholm. The IFCN is a network of dairy researchers responsible for analysing global dairy trends and creating knowledge to guide the various stakeholders in the dairy sector covering about 80 countries, over 60 dairy related companies, a number of dairy related institutions and dairy farmers.

June 3rd, 2009 China closes 4,000 milk collection stationsBEIJING — China has shut down nearly 4,000 milk collection stations for failing to meet safety standards, nine months after tainted milk products were blamed for sickening hundreds of thousands of babies and killing six children, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday. The closures come after the government inspected all of the country's 20,393 milk collection stations since last November, Song Kungang, director-general of the China Dairy Industry Association, said, according to Xinhua.

May 2nd, 2009 Product Recalls: Crouton productThe following recall has been announced: —Sugar Foods Corp. is recalling 531 cases of The Farmers Market Butter & Garlic crouton product because the croutons could contain undeclared milk allergens.

April 28th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The Kerala government is working towards self-sufficiency in milk production by setting up four state-of-the-art dairy farms in the state on an outlay of Rs.20 crore. Work on the first farm has begun at Kulathupuzha in Pathanamthitta district, Animal Husbandry Minister C.

February 26th, 2009 ANAND - The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, better known for its brand name Amul, is looking at a turnover of Rs.65 billion this fiscal, a top official said here. 'The federation is looking at a turnover of Rs.6,500 crore (Rs.65 billion) for the fiscal riding on more milk production from more number of farmers,' said S.S.

February 6th, 2009 PANAJI - India needs to actively pursue a National Milk Vision 2020 in an integrated manner if it is to hold its position as a global milk production giant, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said here Saturday.

January 12th, 2009 ANAND - Milk farmers from Jammu and Kashmir, who were on a visit to the state of 'white revolution', feel inspired by their Gujarati counterparts for their success in creating Amul as one of Asia's largest milk brand. At least 50 milk producers of Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers' Co-operative Ltd (JKMPCL) came on a five-day Amul Yatra in the first week of January to study a model of milk production.