Milk price rise won't stop new Shropshire blockades
Farmers have refused to rule out further blockades at Shropshire's biggest dairy, despite a hike in the price they are paid for milk.
David Handley, chairman of campaign group Farmers For Action, said the latest price offer from Muller and Robert Wiseman Dairies was still short of the 31.5p per litre he said farmers needed to be paid to break even.
And he said FFA would 'keep applying pressure' until their demands were met.
But officials at the Muller Wiseman Milk Partnership Board, the elected partnership which negotiated the new price has called on farmers to end their 'militant' blockades of the company's headquarters in Shrewsbury Road, next to the A53.
Bosses at Muller and Robert Wiseman Dairies have revealed there will be a 0.5p increase to 29.5p per litre on December 1, followed by a further 1p rise to 30.5ppl from February 1 next year.
Mr Handley said: "We are still 2p adrift and the February price rise will not hit a farmer's bank account until March 20, that's nearly four months away.
"We have spoken to the farmer board representation on the Muller Wiseman board and they have told us that if others move on price they will be back in there at the table requesting more money. We'll keep applying the pressure any way we have to until dairy farming is sustainable. I'm not ruling anything out."
Deputy chairman Andrew Hemming added: "Farmers For Action is very, very disappointed with the announcement. It leaves us in a position where we may well have to vent our wrath."
Roddy Catto, chairman of MWMPB, said there is more chance of securing price rises if there are no more protests. He asked for those behind militant activity to 'respect we are the elected representatives of all dairy farmers who supply the group'.
He said blockades 'risked undermining' the progress of discussions.
