Dairy Farmers Want Their Fair Share

WALES, UK - The current state of the British dairy industry was the key issue at the latest National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru Glamorgan county meeting. Held at the Grove Golf Club, Cornelly, farmers raised their concerns on the future prospects for the industry.
calendar icon 14 March 2011
clock icon 2 minute read
National Farmers Union

John Lougher, NFU Cymru’s Milk Board Vice-chairman who farms in Glamorgan described the situation as dire and that confidence was at an all time low within the sector.

Members were astonished to hear that the UK, one of the top milk producing countries in Europe, now sits in 19th position in the price league in the EU marketplace for milk, behind countries such as Estonia and Slovakia.

John Lougher said: “Spiralling input costs coupled with poor market returns has placed the UK dairy industry in a very vulnerable position. There is such a lack of confidence that on-farm investment is simply not an option at the moment. All dairy farmers want is a fair share of what they deserve – this is not happening at present.”

The NFU’s Cost of Milk Production Report recently published revealed that British dairy farmers on average are losing more than three pence on every litre of milk they produce. John Lougher said, “This simply cannot continue. The pro-longed period of low-returns that dairy farmers have endured is clearly unsustainable. In the long term, this unattractive position will undoubtedly deter new entrants from seeking a career in the dairy industry.”

There has however been a glimmer of hope from the European Commission’s Dairy Package proposals and NFU Cymru has written to the Minister for Rural Affairs and local MPs to put extra pressure on the UK Government to support the proposed measures in an attempt to get fairer farm gate price and better contracts available to Welsh dairy farmers.

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