Union leader calls for direct Kintyre dairy support
AS FARM milk prices continue to bump along at their lowest level for decades, the region’s farming union chairman has called for direct financial help to keep Kintyre and Bute dairy farms afloat.
In the week that the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland described the dairy farming crisis as ‘unprecedented in severity and duration’, John Dickson, newly-appointed chairman of the union’s Argyll and the Isles region, said: ‘The milk issue is definitely the most pressing and most crucial for our region. The longer it goes on, the worse it gets, and the danger is that farmers will give up or cut production, and it will get to the point when there’s not enough milk to fill a tanker.
‘I don’t think anyone wants to see the end of dairying in either Kintyre or Bute, because it contributes a massive amount to the economy in both areas.’
He went on to appeal for urgent help: ‘I would say that dairy farmers in this area, because of the very low price they are getting for their milk, are needing some direct financial help, just to tide them over,’ said Mr Dickson.
‘They are milking cows at a loss, so every month they are losing money. The banks have been understanding up till now, but for how much longer?
‘We need to have some financial help directed at dairy farmers in Argyll and Bute to help them get over the next six months to a year.’
NFU Scotland’s policy manager George Jamieson said: ‘It is critical and undeniable that all parts of the supply chain must better share the risks and the rewards of the volatile market we now face. Dairy producers are currently carrying too much of the burden and have not benefited enough from the opportunities.
‘Analysts remain convinced that the future is positive for the dairy sector, but for this to be a reality then we must see tangible evidence that processors, retailers and all end-users, governments and the consumer can all work collaboratively to overcome the massive challenges of peaks and troughs of volatility and competition.
‘Scotland wants to be a part of dairying’s future, but all parties cannot take dairy farmers for granted.’
Kintyre farmers tell of contracts paying 15 pence per litre or as low as 10 pence for some.
Mr Dickson continued: ‘There is a feasibility study going on relation to the future of Campbeltown Creamery.
‘Let the feasibility study come up with an answer, and hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. If not, dairy farmers are going to give up. Longer term, part of the solution might involve Bute milk coming to Kintyre.’
He called for support for the union: ‘NFU Scotland is not perfect, and I’ve criticised it in the past myself, but it’s the best lobbying organisation we’ve got. The NFU has a relationship with ministers and civil servants, so it is definitely the way to get things done.’