A Cork dairy farmer has warned that cuts to milk prices in supermarkets will threaten the viability of many dairy farms across the country.
The Irish Farmers Association says dairy farmers fear supermarkets are on the brink of a full-scale milk price-war.
On Friday, Lidl announced it was reducing the price of a 2-litre carton of milk by 10 cent. Tesco, Aldi and Supervalu have now all followed suit.
Farmers say that the supermarkets are keeping an unfair proportion - instead of passing it on farmers and milk processors.
One in every four dairy farms in the country is in Cork and speaking to RedFM News, Carrigaline Dairy Farmer, Alan Jagoe says sustained price cuts will drive farmers out of the market and could lead to the importation of milk.
"Our margins are very tight on our dairy farms at the moment, and things like this will have a negative impact on dairy farms.
"There are only 1,300 liquid milk dairy farms, and even as it is, it is very hard for supermarkets to get Irish milk to fill our shelves.
"If we keep going the way we're going, with numbers falling off due to price cuts impacting on farms, we will end up importing milk at certain points of the year."
