Dairy farmers urged to end direct milk deals

29 April 1998

Dairy farmers urged to end direct milk deals

FARMERS supplying milk direct to dairies have been encouraged to terminate their contracts when they come up for review on 30 October and sign up with producer-owned co-operatives.

Farmer Richard Tomlinson, from Rossett, near Wrexham, has urged farmers to take this route because he believes most processors are paying at least 2ppl less than the going market rate.

Mr Tomlinson, of Parkside Farm, who milks 250 cows and is contracted to the Co-operative Wholesale Society, said the only way to make processors pay up was for farmers to join co-ops and force each individual company to fight harder for its direct supplies.

Farmers have already considered the issue at meetings across north west England, and Mr Tomlinson claims that the option of mass resignation is finding a great deal of support.

Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union of Scotland urged dairy farmers to send their views on raw milk supplies to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission which is conducting an inquiry.

• The Scotsman 29/04/98 page 28