Farmers' fury after milk price cut again
A farming organisation has warned of further protests after Shropshire's biggest dairy announced it was once again slashing the price it pays its farmers for milk.
Farmers For Action (FFA) said people can expect further protests outside some of the country's biggest dairies, including Market Drayton-based Muller Wiseman. Organisers have called on farmers to turn out in numbers to support the cause if and when action is held.
The warning comes after the German firm announced it will cut 1.75p per litre from the price it pays for milk on March 5, taking its standard rate to 24.15p.
FFA has hit out at the latest announcement of cuts and says the move will put further pressure on farmers who are already struggling financially and are being forced out of the industry
The group, which has staged a series of protests across the country over the last few months over falling milk prices, has remained tight-lipped over exactly when the latest ones will be held.
Paul Rowbottom, FFA member, said: "I am not surprised by the latest cuts. But there is no need for the cuts and they are doing it because they think they can get away with it.
"Muller is not the only one but it is one of the big boys.
"There will be more protests, but there is no good there being about 20 or 30 people there. People need to come out and show their support.
"If there is loads of milk about in the spring then it is not going to look good.
"People are in a hell of a mess. I recently had a woman, a farmer's wife, crying on the phone."
Aled Jones, chairman of the NFU Cymru milk board, said Muller Wiseman's decision to lop 1.75 pence off the price it pays farmers for each litre of milk was "wholly unacceptable".
Dairy Crest has already announced that its new price of between 23.2p and 25.1p per litre will remain unchanged until July. First Milk has also held its prices, which are lower than Muller's at 22.7p to 24p.
Michael Oakes, the NFU's regional dairy chairman, said the recent price cuts were "crippling".
Carl Ravenhall, managing director of Muller Wiseman Dairies, said the firm continues to take "very difficult and painful decisions" to ensure that its costs are as low as they can be.
But he added the business cannot compete if the cost of the milk it buys from farmers is substantially higher than that of its competitors.
