Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Swann has called on the Agriculture Minister to take immediate action after it was revealed to him for the first time that a number of Northern Ireland’s major milk processors have lost ‘significant business’ in the in the Republic as a consequence of an aggressive marketing campaign to exclude certain Northern produce.

The North Antrim MLA said; 

I first warned the Minister exactly 12 months ago that Northern Ireland’s farmers and their produce were being barred from the market in the Republic. This followed a decision by the Irish Farmers Association to publish details of which retailers were selling milk that was branded with the National Dairy Council's (NDC) mark and were urging consumers only to buy from these sources. This was an unconcealed attack on milk farmed and processed here in Northern Ireland as it was very unlikely to carry this mark. 

The Minister eventually decided to raise the issue formally with her Southern Counterpart earlier this month but by then I feared much harm had already been done. I subsequently asked Minister O’Neill whether she was aware of any local agri-food companies that had lost contracts in the Republic of Ireland due to the barriers put in place by the National Dairy Council. In response just this week she told that the she was aware that a “number of our major milk processors have lost significant business in the south due to the National Dairy Council’s campaign.” 

This situation is totally untenable and I would therefore call on her to seek an urgent meeting with Minister Conveney in the Republic in order to try to get this restriction lifted. I would plead with Minister O’Neill to realise the seriousness of the situation and act before more processors lose business. 

If no breakthrough can be made a proposal that I have already formally put to the Minister is that she consider requesting the United Kingdom Government to adopt an equivalent stance in regards to cheese it imports from the Republic of Ireland. 

In 2011 the UK imported £382million worth of Irish cheese, in 2010 it was £354million, in 2009 it was £323million, so whilst Republic is increasing its cheese market in the UK it is strangling the Northern Ireland milk market in its own back yard. 

This is a deeply frustrating and very dangerous game being played by the NDC. They must be shown a clear warning, however, that if the current situation continues that we will not be afraid to take real and significant steps to balance the situation in order to protect our own farmers and processors.