Dairy farmers in Northern Ireland are considering whether to strike against the price of milk with farm groups urging processors to act as global markets improve.
A meeting on the issue is set for Monday, November 14 at the Glenavon Hotel, Cookstown at 8pm and has now received full support of Fair Price NI, Holstein UK and Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA).
John Martin from Holstein UK said the UK could learn from the approach taken around Europe, he said: "In France they are receiving 32c/l for October milk and Friesland Campina are paying dairy farmers 10c/l to reduce supply whilst in Northern Ireland it appears processors want an increase in supply.
"With the French story and other UK regions including southern Ireland’s dairy farmers receiving considerably more for their milk, the time has come for Holstein UK to participate in the Cookstown crisis meeting."
'Put up or shut up'
Ulster Farmers Union president, Barclay Bell, has challenged dairy processors to explain why they are not increasing prices to farmers, despite a new surge in global markets and the continuing weakness of sterling.
"What I am saying is a twist on the old adage to put up or shut up. In this case, if they continue not to put up, in terms of higher prices, there is no justification for shutting up. They need to explain to farmers, whether they are members of a cooperative or not, why they are refusing to increase prices to reflect the better returns they are receiving," he said.
The UFU says the case for an increase was put beyond question last week by the big increase in the Fonterra auction price in New Zealand.
It rose by over eleven per cent, with whole milk powder, a key product for Northern Ireland, leading the auction upwards.
"This is the best barometer of world trade and it is pointing upwards. So too is the Milk Market Observatory in Brussels. No arguments can be put forward by processors here against a substantial and immediate price increase. If they continue holding back farmers' only conclusion can be that processors are more interested in their own profits than in ensuring farmers have the prices and profitability they need to remain in business. And at the end of the day, without farmers willing to maintain supplies processors will not have a business," said the UFU president.
Mr Bell said farmers had every right to be angry about the situation, and that there would be serious consequences for the entire industry in they continued to lose faith in processors.
"If they are reluctant to tell farmers why they are not paying more, this suggests they do not have a credible explanation," he said.
'Nothing to lose'
Mr Bell added that some businesses here with ownership south of the border had increased prices there, despite the weakness of sterling having a negative impact in the eurozone.
"This is because they are responding to pressure from farmers for higher prices. They need to understand that farmers here have even better arguments for higher prices and can no longer be ignored," said Mr Bell.
William Taylor from Farmers' for Action said: "All Northern Ireland dairy farmers will be welcome and a vote will be taken after the debate to have a milk strike unless corporate food retailers, corporate food wholesalers and co-op milk processors put their contempt for NI dairy farmers behind them."
"Northern Ireland’s dairy farmers now have nothing to lose by striking as milk is in short supply, the EU reduction support is available and not forgetting that milk is worth approximately 10p/l as fertilizer.
"At long last this puts NI farmers in the driving seat where they now have the power to deliver fairness at the farm gate."
