Milk price row: Questions over future of Müller protests
Protests by milk farmers outside dairy plants – including Shropshire's Müller headquarters – could soon become a thing of the past following "disappointing" turnouts at recent demonstrations.
Campaigners are considering changing their tactics in their fight to secure a better deal for farmers who supply major dairy firms.
About 150 farmers attended protests at three Müller sites last week – including 50 at the company base in Market Drayton – to object to a freeze on the standard milk price. The farmers used equipment to blockade and shut down sites at Market Drayton, Bridgwater and Foston.
The biggest turnout was at Bridgwater in Somerset where more than 60 farmers were in attendance with a range of farm equipment.
Farmers For Action chairman David Handley said protesters had shut down the plants until midnight so in that sense the group had achieved what it had set out to do.
But he admitted he was disappointed with turnout so the group would decide whether to keep protesting or go down another route.
"I'm not giving up the fight. I still believe we have a mandate because we have members who are Müller producers telling us that they want our help," he said.
"However, we've got to make a decision based on the numbers going out. So we'll sit down to decide whether to continue, go down another route or leave it."
Mr Handley said he was convinced that if enough farmers turned out then it would result in a change of heart from Müller, which has argued that it cannot lift its standard price in September despite more positive signals in the commodity market.
He added: "If farmers turned out in force and said we welcome you and we want you as a business, but you have a corporate responsibility to your suppliers, I think it would work."
Ahead of the protests, Müller chief executive Ronald Kers published an open letter to farmers in which he defended the company's position, arguing that the price paid to farmers over the past 12 months had been higher than many of its competitors.
He said farmers will ultimately receive higher prices, adding: "The fact dairy markets are improving is welcome news forall. This will translate into higher milk prices. However the timing is dependent on when we actually realise these higher returns within our business."
But Mr Handley said Müller had "nothing to crow about" on prices and it "sickened" him that the retailer supplement was being used as part of its defence.
