NFUS implores ‘common sense’ over penalties

Buyers urged to consider wet summer before hammering producers

Wet summer woes of reduced milk yields and higher feed costs could be exacerbated on Scottish dairy farms if milk buyers impose penalties for failing to hit production targets.

Farmers’ union NFU Scotland (NFUS) has called on buyers to adopt a “common-sense” approach to price penalties, and take the exceptional circumstances into account before hammering producers.

NFUS milk policy manager George Jamieson said he had been contacted by numerous concerned producers in recent days.

“Some of them have had to bring their cows inside to avoid damaging wet pasture, and are already feeding increased concentrates to help stall production losses and ensure freshly calved cows are looked after,” he said.

“All this costs money and we believe it is harsh and insensitive to add price penalties to the burden.”

Mr Jamieson said the union supported the need for farmers to work with their milk buyer and supply predicted production figures.

“However, we also believe that these predictive figures can only be calculated on factors that can be accurately predicted.

“As we know all to well in Scotland, one factor which cannot be predicted is the weather.

“We believe producers and processors should work on effective predictions, but with the ability to amend on an ongoing basis when exceptional circumstances, like record June rainfall, crop up.

“The milk buyers we have contacted have been open to our calls, and appear understanding of the situation.

“Their advice is if farmers are concerned about meeting production predictions, then they should contact them and explain their position.

“Major milk buyer Muller also explained that it was being proactive in developing better predictive tools that would benefit both it and their farmers, which we support.”

Mr Jamieson added that in cases where poor, unseasonal weather had an impact on production, then there should be no penalties applied by any processor.

He said: “Such penalties will not help farmers in a difficult season or promote more accurate projections.

“Indeed, it runs the risk of alienating them from the process as we can’t predict the weather, or in a summer like this, maintain expected production.”

Some producers have had to bring their cows inside to avoid damaging wet pasture.