Irish Dairy Board Recommends Yes Vote on Lisbon Treaty

They did this in the belief that a ‘no’ vote could lead to a major loss of goodwill within the European Union, which would be very damaging to the Irish dairy sector and the Irish economy as a whole.

9 Sep 2009 --- The Board of the Irish Dairy Board, at its meeting of 8th September 2009, considered the forthcoming referendum on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. They unanimously decided to recommend a YES vote to all in the dairy sector, and indeed to all the electorate when the country goes to the polls on October 2.

They did this in the belief that a ‘no’ vote could lead to a major loss of goodwill within the European Union, which would be very damaging to the Irish dairy sector and the Irish economy as a whole.

They also noted that this was in recognition of the success of the Irish negotiators: in securing agreement on the Constitutional Treaty during their presidency of 2004;  in preserving the substance of that Treaty in the negotiations on the Lisbon Treaty; in achieving the December 2008 agreement to have one Commissioner from every Member State, if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force; in obtaining the legal guarantees addressing the concerns of the Irish electorate from all other Member States at the European Council of June 2009.

The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) is a major international business with turnover in excess of €2 billion and is the international marketer  and exporter of Irish dairy products. Over 80% of all IDB exports go to countries within the European Union with Kerrygold, the leading brand in Germany.

Major Irish companies, including Intel Corp. and budget airline Ryanair Holdings PLC are among those aiming to convince Irish voters to approve the treaty that Ireland rejected less than a year ago. Ireland's repeat referendum on Oct. 2 is the main obstacle to an agreement that many of the EU's 27 national governments see as essential for the expanded union to function effectively.