Press Release: Milk quotas: Levies for exceeding milk quota total € 340 million

Certain Member States face levies totalling just over € 340 million for exceeding their milk quotas during the 2007/2008 marketing year, according to a provisional calculation by the European Commission, based on Member States' annual declarations. Last year the total levy amounted to € 221 million. Seven Member States (Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and Netherlands) exceeded their delivery quotas. Altogether these account for an overrun of 1 217 000 tonnes, resulting in a levy of € 338.7 million. Some 47% of the total is due to excess deliveries in Italy and 30% of the levy is due from Germany. Italy exceeded its delivery quota by 5.7%, Cyprus exceeded by 3.9% and Austria by 3.2%. As for direct sales to consumers, Cyprus, Luxembourg and the Netherlands reported overruns, totalling 4 673 tonnes resulting in a levy for direct sales of € 1.3 million, of which 92% is due from the Netherlands.