When dairy farmers leave their cows and take to the streets of London, something is very wrong at the heart of British agriculture.
In this case, it is the price of milk. Currently that is between 46p and 49p to the consumer.
The Agriculture Minister for England and Wales, Jim Paice, has been ridiculed for not knowing this. His ignorance illustrates the point, however, that the retail price of milk is not a major consideration in most people's budgets. Nevertheless, the retailers have continually forced down prices, resulting in an increase in the retail price of less than 20p over the last 20 years. The inevitable result is that farmers, despite valiant efforts to diversify into other crops and tourism, are going out of business. Over 8000 dairy farmers have left the industry across Britain in the last eight years and many now see the latest cut as the last straw.
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