FFA targets Farmfoods with milk trolley challenge

Farmfoods has been targeted by members of Farmers For Action, who staged a “milk trolley challenge” in two of its Bristol stores.

A group of young farmers filmed themselves clearing the shelves of milk on Monday night (9 November) in protest over continued low milk prices.

A video posted on Facebook by FFA committee member Becky Robertson said Farmfoods was the target as it “had refused to show any interest in supporting dairy farmers for the sale of milk, unlike other supermarkets”.

See also: Video: Farmers ramp up milk and lamb protests

A statement issued later by FFA said the event was the start of its Christmas campaign to drive milk prices up.

FFA praised the people who took part in the protest for their “exemplary behaviour” and claimed they did the job that needed doing to send the message back to Farmfoods.

A delegation had attended a meeting with the company, but they were still doing “nothing about the milk price”, it said.

FFA chairman David Handley told Farmers Weekly the news that Dairy Crest was increasing its formula price off the back of better cream prices offered a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

However, he pointed out that while Iceland had increased the retail price of four pints of milk to £1, only one other supermarket had followed suit.

Therefore, Farmfoods was not the only problem and more retailers could be targeted if they failed to move on price.

“If people ignore this then the milk trolley challenge will be coming back to supermarkets once again,” he warned.

Milk processors who had made no attempt to either halt the decline or increase milk prices paid to their farmer suppliers could also be targeted over the next couple of weeks, he added.

Farmfoods declined to comment on the situation.