There was no commitment to help raise milk intervention prices in Europe from the UK secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Liz Truss on Monday as she met with agriculture ministers and farmers’ representatives from across the UK.

All ministers acknowledged the threats that sectors of the UK farming industry face and the need for urgent action. There was agreement on the importance of opening new markets and on issues regarding fairness in the supply chain, clearer country-of-origin labelling and the promotion of UK food.

Northern Ireland agriculture minister Michelle O’Neill said after the meeting: “The intervention price must be raised and pursuing opportunities in opening new markets tomorrow will not address the crisis our farmers are facing today.”

O’Neill to meet Hogan

Although she described the meeting as “broadly constructive”, O’Neill is now planning to turn to Europe and ask Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan to raise the intervention threshold price when she meets him in the coming weeks.

O’Neill will also attend the emergency agriculture council in Brussels on 7 September. However, the UK ministers agreed on Monday to present a united position representing all UK farmers at this meeting.

Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president Ian Marshall underlined the need for government to press the European Commission to review the intervention price for dairy products at Monday’s meeting. Lobbying efforts have mainly come from Minister O’Neill and the UFU as most milk from Northern Ireland is exported as commodity products and so is especially susceptible to changes in world markets. Review of intervention in Europe has not been a priority in Britain, however.

The UFU, National Farmers Union, NFU Scotland and NFU Cymru were all present at the meeting. In a statement afterwards, they said that they expected to see follow-up on the measures discussed, with visible outcomes. The statement also stressed the importance of timely area-based payments to farmers and asked retailers and food service companies to ensure they are treating suppliers fairly.