Figures obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal from the Department of Agriculture show the net cost of storing intervention products is €56,106 per month, with costs reducing as batches are removed from intervention.

In June, there was 37,076t of skim milk powder (SMP) intervention product in storage in Ireland. This represents almost 10% of total EU SMP in intervention.

The first intake of product was in August 2015, with continual intakes until August 2016.

Storage

The Department also revealed that SMP intervention product is stored in warehouses in counties Louth, Longford, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Tipperary.

Premises that store intervention products must be approved in advanced by the Department. Each facility is required to have a minimum storage capacity of 600t for 2017.

This will rise to a minimum required storage of 800t for 2018.

This requirement is subject to proximity to transport routes.

According to the Department, storage premises are subject to unannounced on-the-spot inspections by the dairy inspectorate to ensure compliance with approval conditions.

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Intervention in Ireland: how much does it cost and where is it stored?

The cost of storing SMP products in intervention in Ireland is almost €3m, with warehouses around the country storing it, the Irish Farmers Journal can exclusively reveal.