 |
| At AJ Welton Dairy farm. Picture taken from the Rugby Advertiser |
Dairy farmer, who work their fingers to bone to produce the milk we use, have been once again told they will be paid less for the milk they sell to retailers.
In the last two weeks Robert
Wiseman Dairies, owned by Müller Dairies, Arla Foods UK, the UK subsidiary of
Arla Foods Amba, as well as Dairy Crest, announced cuts to their milk prices
paid to farmers as of August 1 of 1.7ppl, 2.0ppl and 1.65ppl respectively,
following further significant cuts in recent months.
Dairy
farmers lose on average 11p for every litre of milk they produce. This is not
sustainable especially since retailers make on average a profit of 34p per
litre of milk they sell. I am backing the NFU as they call on the retailers to ditch their plan to
cut 2p per litre from the price paid to milk producers.
Dairy
farmers rise at 4am everyday, 365 days a year to milk the cows that provide the
milk we use in our tea, baking and cereals. All we are asking is that the
retailers pay them a fair and sustainable price.
The NFU (National Farmers Union) have declared that a failure
to stop the rise will result in targeted demonstrations outside processors and
retailers. They are also threatening to mobilise the public with a concerted
consumer campaign to help them understand the crisis facing the dairy industry.
All of this co-ordinated action would be designed to put pressure and bring shame on the retailers and processors who have caused this crisis in the British dairy industry.”
I am calling on Rugby’s MPs (Mark Pawsey and Jeremy Wright)
to raise the issue with Government and push for a voluntary code of best practice
in contracts, to bring some balance to the relationship between farmers and
processors.
