Dairy farmers in ‘milk bucket challenge’

Ms Truss met farmers unions on Monday following warnings that the dairy industry is facing an unprecedented crisis due to a slump in milk prices. The frustrations of the farmers are understandable but their perception of cause and effect is not supported by the facts and therefore their protests aimed at supermarkets are misjudged.

“We’ve grabbed their attention, now it’s time to educate people a bit more”, said Settle farmer and demonstrator Craig Booth.

Davidson, who is the former chief executive of both Arla Foods and Express Dairies, and holds a CBE for services to the dairy industry, said the campaigns may be good at “catching the attention of the media”, but were ultimately “bound to fail” as the “analysis of the problem is flawed”.

Then there’s the fragmented, low-price battle floor of small outlets, catering and meals producers. that is nonetheless an essential home market, although in comparison with the grocery store sector, it’s rather more intently aligned to global developments and much much less accessible to farmer protests.

And what about the farmers; could they be doing more to help themselves?

Deferral of this year’s farm tax bills (already announced in France) would help farmer liquidity. Last set in 2008, it is nowhere near production costs. Dairy farmers across Europe have also been protesting against consistent revenue losses.

“This was only after several years of planning; our goal was to secure a sustainable future for our business and to ensure our son could continue dairying”. Developing better tools to tackle market volatility, for example through a dairy futures market and insurance, would also be on her agenda, she added. Milk, being perishable, needs to be consumed inside days or refined into storable product; primarily butter and its derivatives, or powders and long-life cheeses, which, like oil, are all internationally traded commodities.

From Callington, a two-hour drive down into Cornwall and you reach St Keverne, near Helston.

“Farmers and their families are under huge financial strain”.

One can only assume that the cows were less than impressed by such improper use of their beloved produce. It was in 1985 that they tried their hands at making Cornish ice-cream and the firm has been expanding its produce range ever since.

“It is important to note that the retail price of our milk is not linked in any way to the price we pay processors”. If we keep buying cheap milk that may be what we end up with.

He went on: “I was hoping we would be seeing better prices by the autumn, but it doesn’t look like prices will get there yet”. In the Netherlands, Dutch farmers receive 30% less for milk than they did a year ago, according to the national statistics office CBS.

In one video members of the Vale Farm Vets practice are swamped with gallons of milk, dropped from a loader.

Toby added: “It is really hard to say”.

“It is clear that European support for our farmers is vital right now”. It wouldn’t work in every situation.

The actual drawback is the 50laptop of the market devoted to longer-life merchandise like cheese, butter and milk powder. For some reason milk has become this thing that gets pushed to the bottom of the shelf and sold for bottom price. We need a commitment from them on this. More could be done on the marketing of milk and how it must not be used as the lowest possible common denominator.