I don’t think anyone anticipated the strength of feeling surrounding recent milk price cuts that was demonstrated by around 3,000 dairy farmers who made the trip to London Dairy Summit last week – least of all Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Mr Jim Paice MP.
There were many who attended last Wednesday because, having exhausted every avenue in trying to live with such low returns for their endeavours, time is running out. One farmer told the meeting that his wife constantly asked him “when will things get better?” A question he in turn asked of The Minister, who failed to provide him with any kind of reassurance. The image of a struggling family who, no matter how many hours a day they work, how hard they try to cut costs on their farm, how much care they give to their cows, can see no way forward, is all too familiar in farming circles.
There was (and still is) a lot of anger surrounding cuts of up to 4 pence a litre in recent months – protests and action to disrupt milk supplies are likely if milk prices are not restored to April levels by August 1st. A coordinated campaign is being run by farming organisations to try and ensure you can still buy British milk in the future. You can find our more about the National Farmers Union (NFU) campaign to back dairy farmers via the following link www.nfuonline.com/Home/SOS-dairy