Farmers promote in-store milk
Farmers met shoppers at a Shropshire supermarket in their latest fight to encourage people to buy milk sourced from county dairies. Farmers met shoppers at a Shropshire supermarket in their latest fight to encourage people to buy milk sourced from county dairies. The farmers were at the Tesco Extra store, Wrekin Retail Park, where they talked about "Localchoice" milk and how shoppers could help to sustain small, dairy farms in the county. Customers were able to try their hand at milking a "fake udder" and found out how milk is really made. Farmer Stephen Yates, from Common Farm, near Telford, said: "The Localchoice products have proven a great success. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
Farmers met shoppers at a Shropshire supermarket in their latest fight to encourage people to buy milk sourced from county dairies.
The farmers were at the Tesco Extra store, Wrekin Retail Park, where they talked about "Localchoice" milk and how shoppers could help to sustain small, dairy farms in the county.
Customers were able to try their hand at milking a "fake udder" and found out how milk is really made.
Farmer Stephen Yates, from Common Farm, near Telford, said: "The Localchoice products have proven a great success.
"Customers love it because it gives them the opportunity to buy locally-sourced produce, while helping to support us local farmers."
Recent research by dairy farm cooperative, Dairy Farmers of Britain, revealed almost one in 10 youngsters aged eight to 15 believed if a cow ate grass, the milk it produced would no longer be white.
Localchoice was launched in Tesco stores across 14 regions in May last year and has since grown to 20 regions with more than 150 farmers receiving enhanced payments for their product.
The in-store event was held to highlight the re-branding and re-labelling of Localchoice milk.
Earlier this month, Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski said the county's dairy farmers still needed urgent help to prevent them going out of business despite the increase in milk prices.
Speaking at the AGM of the all-party Parliamentary group on dairy farming, group chairman Mr Kawczynski said rising fuel and feed costs meant it was impossible to "put milk prices to bed yet".
"We don't want to take our eye off the ball for a minute regarding the milk price because although farmers have seen an increase in the price per pint they have also seen a monstrous increase in the price of fuel and feed," he said.
"It is these well documented factors which continue to put dairy farmers at risk and more must be done to protect them from going under."
Red diesel has tripled in price in the last three years and feed costs have doubled, leaving farmers to quit the industry in their droves.
By Kirsty Marston
