NFUS organises open meeting over dairy crisis

Farming correspondent

Friday 6 July 2012

NFU Scotland is organising an open meeting in Lanark market on Monday at 1pm for dairy farmers to discuss the current crisis created by recent and proposed cuts in the price they are paid by processors for their milk.

Custom byline text:

Rog Wood

The union has also invited major processors to attend at 1.45pm.

NFUS vice-president Allan Bowie, who had just returned from a meeting of farming unions in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, yesterday told The Herald that "the writing is on the wall for some producers".

He explained that on top of the price cuts imposed by processors in April and the proposed ones from the beginning of August, there were extra costs to be met. The recent hike in the futures price for feed wheat will lead to an extra cost of between 2p and 2.5p per litre (ppl). That, coupled with the long winter that led to many dairy farmers not turning their cows out to grass until May, and then having to bring them back indoors and on to full winter rations recently as a result of the rain saturating the fields, could have increased costs of production by about 7ppl in some cases.Anger at the recent pro-posal by processors to cut the price they pay for milk by between 1.7ppl and 2ppl from August 1, on top of similar cuts imposed on April 1, has incensed dairy farmers throughout the UK.A meeting at the Staffordshire showground on Wednesday, called at very short notice, was attended by over 600 irate producers demanding action. While some called for producers to pour their milk down the drain, the overwhelming feeling of the meeting was that they would support public demonstrations to highlight their plight. That led to the summit meeting yesterday of the NFU for England and Wales, NFU Cymru, Tenant Farmers' Association and Farmers for Action. They called for all milk price cuts imposed on farmers since April 1 to be restored by August 1.The unions have also called on farmers to show their strength of feeling by turning out in force at a crisis summit in London on Wednesday leaving retailers, MPs, processors and the public in no doubt about the scale of the problem.A joint statement said: "The catastrophic cuts will drive farmers out of the dairy industry and we are united in our demand for an immediate reversal of recent and planned cuts. "There has been an unprecedented outcry of anger and frustration among farmers. We want to harness that strength of feeling and bring together farmers from across England, Scotland and Wales to express their feelings in London next week."Meanwhile, farming minister Jim Paice still believes that a voluntary code of practice on milk contracts is the solution. He said: "I remain committed to persuading the industry to develop its own code of practice regarding contracts and, as the House will be aware, the Bill to introduce a groceries code adjudicator is in the other place." He went on to say: "I am more than prepared to bang heads together to help deliver the code."

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

NFUS organises open meeting over dairy crisis

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED