Yoghurt bosses turn spotlight on county

The stunning Shropshire countryside is to provide the backdrop for a new multi-million pound TV advertising campaign by Market Drayton-based Muller Dairy.

The lush pastures of north Shropshire, as well as other locations around the county, will be seen on television sets across the land as Muller celebrates the "local" pedigree of its products.

Muller Dairy chief executive, Stewart Gilliland, said the company was proud of the fact that 90 per cent of its milk is sourced from within 30 miles of the dairy.

He explained: "Our relationships with our farmers are very important to our business and we couldn't be happier that we can obtain the vast majority of the 700,000 or so litres of milk we use every single day from producers who live and farm around us.

"It's great to have the opportunity to show off the beautiful Shropshire countryside to audiences across the UK. The county has a fantastic pedigree when it comes to producing food and if our efforts bring benefits for the wider reputation of Shropshire we will be very pleased to have continued to play our part."The advertising campaign, part of a £5.8 million investment in raising the profile of the brand, will tie in with Muller visiting major county shows around the UK this year, at which it will give out nearly 800,000 free samples of its products.

A 45-strong film crew and 20 actors spent a week recording the advert, beginning on Muller farmer Richard Charmley's Kennel Farm, at Ightfield, near Whitchurch, and featuring some of his 180-strong dairy herd - including one cow who will take a starring role.

Richard, who could be making his own silver screen debut as his hands were used in one of the shots for the advert, said: "This was an entirely new experience for us and it's quite unnerving because you don't know what to expect.

"But we're very much looking forward to seeing the finished advert with our land and our herd in it."

As well as Ightfield, scenes for the new ad were filmed around Oswestry, Long Mynd, Ironbridge and Much Wenlock. It is due to have its TV premiere on July 14.

Muller UK's Market Drayton dairy employs around 800 people. The company produces nearly one third of all yoghurt eaten in the UK and uses more than 700,000 litres of milk every day, 90 per cent of which is sourced from within 30 miles of the dairy.