COP has had positive effect, NFUS told

THE LAST time Sir Jim Paice addressed an NFUS annual meeting was two years ago when he was UK Minister of Agriculture.

Yesterday he was back at the same podium, but this time as chairman of First Milk, the UK’s largest food and farming co-op.

“As a minister three years ago, I was horrified at how badly relationships had broken down in the dairy sector,” he said.

The industry response had been to set up a dairy Code of Practice (COP), with Mr Paice acting as mediator and sponsor.

In one of politics’ crueller blows, he was, in September 2012, in the middle of a press conference to launch the COP when the call came from Downing Street to say he had been a casualty of a ministerial reshuffle.

“The COP was set up to improve trust and transparency and if you look at where we are now there has been a visible improvement,” Mr Paice said.

“But I said at the time that the COP would have to be reviewed in a year or so and I am delighted that Alex Fergusson MSP has agreed to lead just such a review.

“As regards First Milk, I want to see it in line with global best practice and competing with our products. Other countries have a better record on this and we need to learn from them.”

Paul Grant, chairman of Arbroath jam manufacturer Mackays, has been appointed as chairman of the Dairy Growth Board, a new body charged with growing Scottish dairy output by 50% over the next 10 years.

He told the meeting he would be using many of the approaches that have made Mackays successful on the international market.

These include using very strong Scottish branding. It was early days but he expected butter and cheese to lead the way.

“We will fact-find and test markets and products over this year and next, and should have progressed to multi-market development by 2016,” Mr Grant said.

Picture: Kris Miller. Paul Grant of Mackays and Sir Jim Paice, chairman of First Milk, at the Fairmont St Andrews.