Farmers protest over milk prices by taking their COWS into Asda

Farming unions from across the UK will hold an “urgent summit” later to discuss milk prices, following widespread protests.

‘We moved to this model after guidance from those who were supplying us and means the price received by our farmers is set by their own cooperative business.

Protesters taking part in the so-called “Milk Trolley Challenge” have been removing all cartons of milk from shops including Morrisons and Lidl before paying for it and taking it away or dumping it at the checkout.

The protestors bought the milk – using money donated by supporters – and handed it out to people outside for free.

More than 50 farmers, with their families, staged a French style protest in Asda’s chilled food aisles, emptying the shelves of fresh milk and dairy produce.

The incident in Stafford’s Asda store is the latest in a number of protests that have taken place around the country with farmers saying the price they are paid for milk is unsustainable.

Earlier this month, the biggest milk co-operative in the UK, Arla, announced another cut to the price it pays its UK members.

Farmers say they need to be paid at least 30p a litre of milk to cover their costs, but they were paid an average 23.66p in June according to British dairy organisation AHDB Dairy.

It said the reduction reflected a continuing softening in the market value of farmgate milk “due to very high levels of supply from farms in the UK, coupled with weak global demand”.

The union’s president, Meurig Raymond, said: “The situation many of our members are experiencing has become a crisis”.

‘They receive an on-account payment for their milk and take an equal share of any remaining profit.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said: “There is no connection between the price of milk in supermarkets and the price retailers pay farmers for their milk”.