Germany has announced a 100m euro aid package for its country's stricken dairy farmers.
German Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt met on Monday with representatives from the dairy industry and retailers in Berlin at a "milk summit" aimed at resolving the problems caused by a radical fall in milk prices.
Schmidt announced after the meeting that German dairy farmers would receive at least 100 million euros ($111.37 million) in immediate loans, guarantees and tax relief to help them weather any financial shortpasses.
He said he would be holding discussions about the exact sum.
Ahead of the summit, Schmidt said he also wanted to cut milk production to stabilize the market.
"We need less milk at a better price," he told the daily Passauer Neue Presse.
At the same time, however, he said that farmers and retailers should make out such agreements among themselves, as it was "not the job of the state" to intervene in pricing policies.
Recently, German dairy farmers have sometimes received less than 20 cents per liter, with 35 cents being seen as the minimum price needed to cover their costs.
The fall in milk prices in recent months has been caused by large amounts of milk flooding the markets, not just in Germany, but across Europe.
The "milk summit" was also set to discuss pushing milk prices up from the current average supermarket value of 46 cents in the hope that the increased profits will be passed on to farmers.
