First Milk confirms latest pool prices for farmers

FIRST Milk has confirmed that members within its Midlands and East Wales milk pool will receive a price rise of 0.2ppl for March, whilst prices within all other pools remain unchanged.

Clive Sharpe who chairs First Milk, said: ‘Prices for all pools will be held from March 1, the only exception being the Midlands and East Wales pool where farmers will receive a 0.2ppl milk price rise as a result of returns from our basket mechanisms.

‘Following eight consecutive milk price rises which have cumulatively delivered around 11ppl onto our members’ milk price, returns have stabilised over the last month. Our Milk Price Index shows that our prices are now more competitive than at any point in the past, as a result of First Milk being a leaner, more focused business.’

This now gives milk pool A and B prices, ppl, of 26.25 and 25 for Midlands and East Wales; 27.11 and 25 for Lake District; and 28.33 and 25 for Haverford West which compare with 27.11 and 25 for Scottish Mainland farmers. The Lake district A price includes an average transport adjustment and Haverford West A includes a Tesco cheese group payment.

All of Kintyre’s dairy farmers are members of First Milk, which is the UK’s only major dairy company, 100 per cent owned by British farmers. With its headquarters in Glasgow, First Milk supplies a wide range of dairy products and dairy ingredients to customers in both national and international markets, including block cheeses, raw milk, butter, skimmed milk powder and whey proteins.

The company is involved in a sustainability programme developed with Nestlé where it supplies high quality fresh milk used in the manufacture of brands such as Kit Kat and Nescafe Café Menu.