Let’s value milk and pay our farmers a fair price
First Milk’s announcement that it will delay payment to more than 1,000 dairy farmers comes, in some ways, as no surprise. it highlights the deepening crisis facing dairy farmers in the Uk. the number of milk producers in England and Wales has now fallen below 10,000 and there are suggestions that this number will halve by 2025. For the first time since records began 110 years ago, the number of dairy farms in scotland has dropped below 1,000 — to just 993. this isn’t because of inefficiency on farms — it’s entirely due to the drive for ever cheaper milk, which means only a few will be left standing. the use (or abuse) of milk by retailers as a loss leader amounts to playing with our food. the common image of cows in fields being maintained by those selling milk and dairy products masks the steady march towards a future where milk and dairy products will increasingly flow from industrial sites rather than traditional farms. Uk dairy farmers need to focus on value, not volume.volume i started a fa farmer-led movement called Free range Dairy and the Pasture Promise label to promote the value of Britain’s seasonally grazed herds and try to shift industry focus away from volume and towards value. the remaining cows in our fields can deliver so much more than bucolic images, turning abundant fresh grass, which we ourselves can’t digest, into a wonderful, nutritious food. if we are to secure a truly sustainable supply of healthy and affordable milk and dairy products for our nation, we must all take responsibility for the food choices we make. that’s why i’d like to see clear labelling on milk cartons and packaging that will enable consumers to make an informed choice about the provenance of the dairy in their diet — and reward farmers with a fair price.
NEIL DARWENT (BBC Outstanding Farmer of the Year), Frome, Somerset.
As thE big supermarkets race to drop the price of milk and put British dairy farmers out of business, have they ever thought to ask their customers whether they are happily prepared to pay a fair and higher price for fresh milk? i’m sure the majority of us are prepared to support this country’s farmers on this issue.
MIKE MAZUR, Glenrothes, Fife.
BEForE we all start shouting with glee at the low prices which will result from ‘supermarket wars’, spare a thought for the suppliers who will be injured, some mortally. Many are already having to cut prices to the bone to meet the supermarkets’ demands. Now they will have to go into the marrow. the big manufacturers may be able to bring in cost-cutting measures to offset yet another reduction in profits, but the smaller companies will not. hundreds are already struggling to survive and this could be the final nail in the coffin.
DAVID WALKER, Barrowford, Lancs.