Sign the 'fair price' milk petition

[Spud dog]

Done

[Tug]

The milkman doesn't give the farmers any more, just has greater overheads and less buying power when it comes to middle men.

 

It sickens me that all the hipsters and hippies want fair trade for tea, coffee and chocolate - but British farmers get screwed by the supermarkets over everything, not just milk. How long before they fold and we end up importing milk.

 

Signed, shared, tweeted and emailed...

[pimpkiller]

Can someone post a breakdown of the cost of milk for say tesco (ripoff). I find that the cost of food to be crazy at the mo. Perhaps the farmers should try and sell more direct to the public at better prices, whenever i find a local butcher farmer whatever they want stupid money.

[ack-ack]

It is happening in all branches of farming now though, livestock, arable, nobody is being paid what it costs to produce, let alone profit!

 

During my years at the UK's premier (non-Royal) Agricultural College I was privileged to have been lectured by an Ag Marketing man (his name escapes me as I used to toss it off in marketing) who was a tad cynical. It was 1993 and he warned us all that supermarket contracts and the abolishing of the marketing boards would lead to the death of farming as we knew it. A few in the class who's folks were the first to buy in to the schemes openly scoffed at the man to the point of rudeness.

 

He was bang on. The MMB may have had its faults but the last thing you want is a free market in an industry were margins are so low. A penny a litre can determine a farms viability.

 

Signed

[Kes]

Signed, willingly. I'd favour a return to a fixed price mechanism like the MMB with guaranteed welfare standards and checks on purity.

I dont want milk from abroad its too costly for the environment. I also have to say the power of the supermarkets needs to be broken. How much of their negotiating power is used for its customers benefit and how much to fuel their profits.

Some of the old ways were good and I for one would like to see a return to the MMB, simply to ensure quality and to allow dairy farmers to plan ahead and make a living.

 

I have to say though that farmers can be their own worst enemies and the NFU etc hasnt done enough to change perceptions and practice from the bad old - "rip up the hedges, never mind the environment, pesticide happy, fat Range Rover" image which existed.

 

AND modern factor farmed dairy herds of over 3000 animals are NOT the way forward.

 

P.S. Son is doing a degree in agriculture and I'm trying to make him financially viable !! So declared personal interest as well as respect for many old friends in farming who have tried for years against the odds with a deep seated concern for the environment and a ready smile.

[Catweazle]

I see a parallel with the British coal industry. British pits couldn't produce coal as cheaply as Poland ( which was subsidised ), so the fuel dealers started buying imported coal and the British miners complained vocally that the end result would be the ruination of our mines and eventually dearer prices for us. How right they were, although you wouldn't guess it by the slagging they often get on here.

 

I do like the free market, but some things are too important to be left to it, if we lose the skills and a generation of farmers give up then we will be royally screwed in the future. Bring back a fair, fixed price.

[speckled frank]

Was pleased to sign it. Let's hope that any increase goes to our dairy farmers; they've got to live too. Hopefully any increase won't go to Tesco and the like.

[sitty tree]

done.

[jasper3]

done

[Alanl50]

Sorted my son

Alan

[craftycarper]

done

[crosshair]

Signed here and elsewhere.

 

And the Supermarkets unashamedly show their millions of pounds of profit.

[walshie]

Done

[spanj]

Signed here and elsewhere.

 

And the Supermarkets unashamedly show their millions of pounds of profit.

 

 

And the Supermarkets unashamedly show their millions of pounds of profit........ then don't shop there. I dont, having principles aint cheap though..............

[fruity]

Done

[philm]

Signed

[-Mongrel-]

Yep, signed and shared.

[keg]

" I see a parallel with the British coal industry. British pits couldn't produce coal as cheaply as Poland ( which was subsidised ), so the fuel dealers started buying imported coal and the British miners complained vocally that the end result would be the ruination of our mines and eventually dearer prices for us. How right they were, although you wouldn't guess it by the slagging they often get on here.

 

I do like the free market, but some things are too important to be left to it, if we lose the skills and a generation of farmers give up then we will be royally screwed in the future. Bring back a fair, fixed price"

 

Agree with you on some things being too important to be left to the free market Catweazle, exactly right, but in the case of coal it was that fact the unions had held the country to ransom too often and even when still nationalised, the subsidies going into the pits were huge, they would not accept any closures or modernisation.

 

I still think coal has a future but the increased prices have been driven by the blind drive towards solar and wind power and the subsidies they need ( no different to coal). If you take these subsidies away, neither source would stand up commercially.

 

Add in the tree huggers fussing and we have had no coal or nuclear stations built in years, depsite the fact that scrubbers now remove nearly all polutants. Same with incinerators really.

 

I have also signd the petition as the major players are in this case royally screwing the famers. We still get ours delivere dby our local milkie.

Edited July 19, 2012 by keg

[Gerry31]

Done

[gazzala]

Done :good: :good: :good: