Farmers have their say on dairy crisis as prices show slight rise

"We need to keep it up and we need to intensify the protests, if we are to stop any further price cuts and start to get farmgate prices up as fast as they went down. No matter what your view on protesting this surely must get everybody at the protest sites," Farmers for Action said in a statement as last night another demonstration went ahead in Lancashire.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has written to Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, seeking an update on Defra’s actions to support the UK dairy industry.

Chair of the Committee, Miss Anne McIntosh MP, said: "Our Committee has taken a close interest in the dairy industry, publishing a report in 2011 with a series of recommendations for Government action. We would like an update on the implementation of changes to ensure our dairy farmers can continue to invest for the future at a time of volatile market prices.

We also want the Government look at how best to manage the relationship between indirect suppliers, such as dairy farmers, and retailers and whether the voluntary code of practice applying to contracts between farmers and dairy processors should be made mandatory."


But Prices on the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) have shown a 1.4% increase for October. The first rise in seven months.

Protestors met last night at the Lymm Truck Stop, off the M6 to continue a series of protest organised by the FFA which have been going on for weeks. Last Thursday, a protest was assembled near a Morrisons supermarket in which over 500 people attended.

"Examples of what has been done in the last 10 days by our so called friends, the British retailer:- insulting adverts on TV cheapening the value of your hard earned British milk, displacing British cheese off the shelves replacing with cheaper European product, cheapskate adverts in national newspapers.

"One retailer removes 2,500 tonnes of British quality cheese for Irish, pressure being put on milk price tenders to get them even lower for a failing retailer and quotes by one milk processor of a £55m loss, no mention of the £35m trading profit, no mentions of all the acquisitions that have been made in one financial year. Clever accountancy? We need to make a stand to get sustainable milk prices, no one else is going to do it."

Support for dairy farmers from the public, processors and retailers is vital after farmgate milk prices have fallen by around 25% in recent months.

Speaking today at the Welsh Dairy Show, Jones, a dairy farmer from Caernarfon, said that the current situation was causing significant financial strain and called on the rest of the supply chain to take action to support milk producers at this time.

Mr Jones said, “Processors and retailers need to do more to deliver a sustainable milk price back to Welsh dairy farmers. There are a number of pricing models in the liquid milk sector that do this but with the majority of milk in Wales processed into cheese we urgently need to see these models expanded into milk that is destined for the domestic cheese market.

“Milk and milk products that are being processed and sold in the UK should not be suffering the level of price cuts we are seeing. Retailers and processors supplying the UK market should not be taking advantage of the volatility seen on global markets to cut milk price.”

Farmers have their say

'Surely the time has come to press for a 'Fairtrade' type logo for milk produced here in the UK. just as some farmers in other countries receive a fair price for their farming produce, ethically farmed and given a constant and fair price, inevitably increased for us as customers, would at least give us the chance of choosing to support either participating farmers or the relentless price wars of supermarkets. Having listened to The Farming Programme on Sunday and the item on today's early farming programme I am sure 'Fairtrading' would be of benefit to our hardworking and dedicated farmers.'

June Freshney

'I like many people are disgusted with the milk pricing debacle, and the damage it is doing to our British dairy farmers. I wonder if you should start a campaign on CHANGE.ORG, i know you would get thousands of signatures in support and then the government will have to do something to improve the situation - no British person wants imported European milk. Just a thought - maybe it will help?'

Rachel Osborne

'The dairy board is working tirelessly for milk producers but how do they take into consideration all of the goat and sheep milk producers and what representation do you expect them to have on the NFU dairy board?'

M J Amos

'I wish to contribute to the recent coverage concerning milk supply and pricing. I too want to pay fairly for something that I value, this is a side of farming that I have knowledge of. Whilst spending time in Ireland staying with family I have seen at first-hand what work and dedication goes into the production of milk.'

Maria Dunne

'It’s not just milk its every commodity produced on the farm as long as the artics keep coming across on the ferry every day it will carry on what nobody will tell us is where the financial help is coming from because it can’t be done on a fair level playing field and the supermarkets are just cashing in the situation.'

J Houghton

'Milk in the bottle, on the doorstep, from a local supplier. It's worth it.'

Harry Payne

'Iceland have just reduced the price of milk from £1 to 0.89p. I am a pensioner living on a pension but I was quite happy to pay the £1. If they chose to reduce the cost, why can't they give the difference to the farmer. If farmers can't make a living then they could dispose of cattle then nobody will get any milk. Sell direct to the public, cut out the supermarket.'

Paul Spencer

'Just what are you going to do if the price goes up you will have the mega dairies buying in more cows and producing more milk I think quotas should stay and be reduced . The milk buyer or dairy should set the amount they need or can sell at a sensible price then perhaps the dairy industry will prosper .another twelve months of the current problems and there will not be any left.'

Christopher Stagg