Farmers empty shelves again over milk prices
DOZENS of dairy farmers descended on a supermarket yesterday to buy milk worth hundreds of pounds.
They gathered at Asda in Ayr last night to protest over low prices which have led many farm owners to give up their businesses.
They entered the superstore with trolleys and loaded them up with milk, including almond milk, soy milk and goat’s milk, leaving the shelves completely bare.
The full trolleys were then taken to the till where they were paid for using money given by a mystery benefactor.
However, some trolleys were left behind in the aisles, and some milk spilled onto the supermarket floor.
Outside the store, a tractor and trailer containing a calf pulled up, while the farmers sold on the milk they had bought, using an honesty box to accept cash.
Later, leftover milk was taken to hospices and food banks while the money raised from customers who bought the milk was given to local charities.
A bath was even brought in and milk was poured over two girls as fellow farmers and customers looked on.
Farmers staged a similar protest at a branch of Asda in Kilmarnock.
Dairy farmer Robin Briggs, 35, who runs Kilhenzie Farm near Maybole, Ayrshire, with his parents, said they were receiving eight pence below costs for their milk.
He added: ‘We can’t invest in the farm. I’ve got a young family with two children under three. The way things are I wouldn’t encourage my son to go into farming.
‘We’re not able to pay the bills at the moment. If it does not improve we would have to give up in six months.
‘The last thing we want is to give up the farm. It’s what I love to do. It’s what my passion is. It would be a disaster if that came to an end.’
Mr Briggs, whose family have farmed for four generations, said the protest was a way to encourage people to buy British produce and a way of highlighting the issues farmers face due to low milk prices.
He added: ‘The response has been phenomenal. The video that went on Facebook is at 2.3million views since Monday.
‘There’s been no negative feedback. It’s very encouraging to see. The price the supermarkets have dropped the milk to is not sustainable. We’re small businesses. We don’t have any clout to demand a fair price that we think we’re entitled to.’
Andrew Hannah, 28, is the fourth generation of his family to take up farming at Garrie Farm near Stranraer, Wigtownshire. He travelled to Ayr for the protest. He said: ‘A year ago things were good at 34 pence a litre. It’s now down a significant amount from that. When farms got that money they spent it and invested it, putting it in the community.
‘We’ve put the money in but still have got the deficit to pay. We’re trying to make ends meet and live a life.
‘I’ve got a small child and wife to see to. It’s not just a job, but a lifestyle.’
Mr Hannah said his family was already starting to think about whether it was time to give up the farm.
He added: ‘We’re trying to save costs. Hopefully the milk price will not fall more.
‘We don’t want to cause any inconvenience. We’re the ones that are trying to get the quality but we’re not the ones that can put a price on what we want to sell it for.’
‘The last thing we want is to give up the farm’