Dairy farmers in roads blockade warning as milk price row grows
DAIRY farmers are threatening to cause widespread chaos on Scotland’s roads as they step up protests over the low price they are paid by supermarkets to produce milk. There are warnings of French- style blockades of motorways, which could cause maj o r disruption for motorists.
Farmers claim they are being forced to sell milk at below the cost of production and are losing an average of £200 a day at the prices paid by the supermarkets. They have already caused mayhem in some stores by clearing milk off shelves and targeting various sites across Scotland.
Yesterday, Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead demanded a UK- wide summit to discuss the challenges facing the agricultural sector, saying: ‘We need to urgently consider what further appropriate help can be made available to those sectors most affected.’
Protest group Farmers f or Action said it will wait to see what action politicians take, but warned that farmers are becoming increasingly frustrated.
The head of the campaign group, John Cummings, said: ‘There is a lot of anger out there as many are going out of business and I don’t know how long we can hold them in. They have been talking about what the French do and want to step it up within a few days unless there is immediate action.
‘We don’t condone such actions as it will cause problems to the public but there are a lot of very angry farmers who are becoming increasingly desperate.’
Although the figures can vary, on average, farmers are paid about 24p a litre for milk, which is below the production cost of about 32p a litre. The price paid by families in the supermarkets for milk is 44p to 60p a litre.
Demonstrations have taken place in recent days at branches of Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Tesco, where farmers have filled trolleys with bottles of milk and dumped them at checkouts without paying. At some stores, farmers have bought all the milk and given it away to shoppers in the car park.
Bryce Cunningham, 28, who farms at West Mossgiel near Mauchline, Ayrshire, is facing an uncertain future as the price of milk has continued to drop over the past six months. He is paid 15p for every litre of milk that he produces, but it is costing him 24p to produce it.
Mr Cunningham, who has a wife Amy and four-month- old baby Arran to support, said the reduced milk price had affected ‘everyday life completely’.
He said: ‘We are milking 120 cows just now. I’m currently losing £200 every day. I’m trying to do everything I can to keep the business going.
‘I can’t provide money towards my wife, who is on maternity leave. I’m finding it a struggle to do things. Milk prices started to tumble last September and in the last four months it’s been terrible. We can barely function at the moment.’
A spokesman for Morrisons supermarkets said: ‘We are disappointed with the disruption being caused to our stores and our customers.
‘We recognise the current issue is being caused by a reduction in global demand for milk that has led to an over-supply in the UK and very difficult conditions for many dairy farmers. We want to reiterate we are not seeking any further reductions in milk prices.’