Brussels, Sept 25 - European dairy farmers have suspended a two-week milk supply strike until Oct. 5, when EU agriculture ministers will meet to discuss French proposals to end the crisis in the dairy sector.
The farmers warned they would restart the protest if they were not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, the European Milk Board, which represents 140,000 farmers, said on its website.
"The politicians are moving. We will pause with one aspect of the farmers revolution. We will pause the delivery stop for now," Pascal Massol, President of the French APLI said in a statement.
"If there are no serious and clear political decisions being taken to overcome the catastrophic situation of the dairy market, we will immediately start again," Massol said.
EU agriculture ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting on Oct. 5 to discuss French proposals for intervention and aid to the dairy producers amid the collapse of prices.
About 80,000 dairy farmers across Europe joined their French counterparts in the two past weeks in protest, suspending milk supply to dairies and dumping million of litres of milk.
The European Milk Board said in the statement their action had led to the non-delivery of about 500 million litres of milk, and the market had reacted with spot prices increasing.