Dairy farmers in Cheshire will have the chance to debate the future of the dairy sector with NFU dairy board chairman, Mansel Raymond, when he speaks at an open meeting in the county next week.
The meeting takes place on Wednesday 3 November at the Heyrose Golf Club, Budworth Road, Tabley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0HZ, starting at 7.30pm The meeting is free to attend and everyone is welcome.
Mr Raymond will give his thoughts on the current situation and future trends within the dairy sector and highlight NFU lobbying within the supply chain.
Farmers will have the chance to raise other issues which will be of relevance to Cheshire including the review of red tape currently underway and the recently launched consultation on how to tackle the spread of Bovine TB. However, the direction of the discussions will be very much led by those who go along and there will be plenty of time for questions and debate.
NFU’s North West regional dairy board chairman, Russell Bowman, said: "The recently released DairyCo supply chain margins report showed that while farm gate milk price has dropped by two pence per litre in the 2009 and 2010 year, retail gross margins increased over the same period.
"This mirrors what is said in the NFU’s Great Milk Robbery document and clearly shows that farmers should be expecting better returns for the milk they produce. This meeting, along with the Great Milk Debates in November, will seek to challenge retailers and milk buyers on their activities and highlight the need for greater supply chain responsibility and transparency."