With the average farm gate price for milk in the UK at 24.96 pence per litre in March (source: DairyCo), some 25% lower than March 2014, it’s easy to see why there is so much pain and suffering in the dairy industry right now. But, as producers desperately seek some sort of foothold for the…
Free Range Dairy seeks to secure a fair reward for milk producers who commit to grazing their cows for at least half of the year. People tell us they think farmers deserve more and that they want a clear assurance that cows are given the freedom to graze. So, when you choose free range milk…
Retailers have spent a lot of time and money building their reputation for quality and value, to win trust and confidence from their customers. However, there have been one or two hiccups along the way. The horsemeat scandal in 2013 was enormously damaging to the integrity of the supply chain, with everyone wondering where it…
Delivering lasting change in the fortunes of British dairy farmers is quite an undertaking, against the backdrop of increasing market volatility. That’s why we are really grateful for all the support and encouragement we have received from farmers. Free Range Dairy is all about creating an opportunity – instead of sitting back and waiting for…
Since the middle of November 2014 we have run twelve meetings for farmers around the country – from Cumbria to Cornwall. Thanks to all those who came along, listened, asked questions and put forward their ideas – it has been time well spent for us. It is quite evident from the dozens of feedback forms…
A lot of people are asking how they can help farmers in the midst of the current dairy crisis and want to know where they can source their milk to ensure the producer gets a fair reward. There is understandably some confusion over who is paying farmers a fair price and who is not right…
We are still running a number of Free Range Dairy meetings for farmers around the country to explain our objectives, outline standards for free range milk production and provide details of our strategy for getting free range milk to market. There is growing interest in the opportunity to distinguish and brand milk from cows that…
Last week I took part in a debate about the value of milk compared to bottled water and, in my research, I learned some interesting things about the UK bottled water market and the way in which it is promoted and marketed. There are some interesting comparisons between the volume and value of both the…
I know everyone is busy getting ready for Christmas now but I just want to update you with details of meetings we are holding for farmers in the New Year. We have lots to talk about – progress with establishing producer standards, our feasibility study and some very interesting consumer research carried out as part…
Coca Cola, the soft drinks giant, has launched its own brand of milk – Fairlife. But, as you might expect, this is no ordinary milk. Coca Cola say that Fairlife will contain 50% more protein, 50% more calcium, 30% less sugar and no Lactose. In 1969 a television advert for Coke assembled young people from…
Thank you to all who came along to the Free Range Dairy farmer meetings in Penrith, Garstang and Nantwich last week. It is really encouraging to see the interest in what we are trying to do and the feedback on our standards and strategy for getting free range milk to the market is invaluable. I…
We have been fortunate enough to secure a small amount of funding to run a series of regional meetings for farmers interested in winning recognition for free range milk production, over the next few months. Perhaps now more than ever before, there is an urgent need to find a way to install value in the…
When I was getting a few jobs done on the farm early yesterday morning, before heading off for our Free Range Dairy meeting, I was heartened to hear BBC Radio 4 discussing opportunities to engage consumers and secure a fair price for milk, which reinforced my belief that we are on the right track. You…
How much more can we achieve by working together? Free Range Dairy Network has been set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to create just that – a community. Farmers often find themselves isolated and unheard, living and working as they do in remote rural areas with no one to speak for them. In…
A week ago I attended a local meeting arranged by Farmers for Action (FFA) at which David Handley highlighted the need for the British dairy industry to stop promoting increased milk output without first securing markets for that extra milk. An estimated 200 dairy farmers, concerned about the recent downward spiral in milk prices, were…
When I set Free Range Dairy in 2011, it was largely born out of my frustration at the lack of value in British milk and the constant struggle for farmers to achieve a fair reward for what they produced. What started as movement to allow farmers who graze their cows to distinguish themselves from intensive…
Over the past few months dairy farmers have been forced to accept a series of milk price cuts totalling almost 5 pence a litre. For a typical family farm with 150 cows, producing 1 million litres of milk, that amounts to a reduction in revenue of £45,000 a year. In many instances, all of…
Why are Britain’s supermarkets in a race to bottom right now and what will they find when they get there? I heard on the Today Programme this morning that Sainsbury’s are setting up a joint venture with Danish retailer Netto, in an attempt to take on the rapidly growing ‘discounters’. Meanwhile, Morrisons have just…
Thanks to Dr George Fisher for a really interesting article in the excellent June issue of British Dairying magazine. Dr Fisher explains “We don’t tend to think of grazed grass in the same way as other feeds like silage or concentrate, where we measure the energy content to judge its quality. But, we should do,…
Figures produced by James Dunn from Promar Consultancy show that headline rises in dairy herd margins are largely down to increasing milk prices over the last 12 months. In an article in Dairy Farmer magazine, Mr Dunn showed that whilst average milk yield per cow rose from 7,698 litres to 8,006 (+ 308 litres) on…