Superlevy November 17, 2015 12:00 am Provisional data from the European Commission reports twelve countries were over quota for the milk year 2014-15 and will have to pay a total of €818m in superlevy. This compares to €409m in 2013-14 and just €45m in 2012-13. Poland was the most over quota, by 5.8%. Other countries above quota included, Austria (5.5%), Ireland (4.4%), the Netherlands (4.1%) and Germany (3.7%). Germany will have to pay the biggest fine of €309m. The EU as a whole was actually 2.1% under quota, with the UK 6.1% below. A total of 16 Member States did not reach the limit set. Bulgaria was 54% below quota. Other countries falling short included Romania (39%), Greece (29%), Sweden and Slovakia (both 20%), Finland (10%) and France (5%). It may seem strange to some that we have been talking about the increase in production in the UK (and in the EU) when we ended the year 6.1% below quota. But it must be remembered extra quota has been allocated to Member States over the last five years to prepare for the end of quotas, which took place at the end of March this year. The UK has been significantly short of quota over recent years; 10.7% and 13.8% for 2013-14 and 2012-13 respectively. The last time the UK was over quota was in 2003-04. But other countries have been significantly constrained by quotas and started to increase their production in readiness for the end of quotas and on the back of good prices in 2014.
