In thinking that Morrisons are turning dairy farmers into a charity case?

Well I just read that Asda sell the milk for less than what they (Asda) pay for it just to entice their customers in. Well I have to say I would not be "enticed" by a carton of milk.

I also read that they (Asda) have a milk co-operative.

Whilst I have every sympathy with the farmers, what they appear to have forgotten is that it is the farmers who caused this problem in the first place. When we had a milk marketing board, the price was set. Farmers made a profit, albeit not a vast one, on any milk they sold. However, they then decided that they could manage without the milk marketing board and could make more money by selling their product direct. In a worldwide market, this has come to totally backfire on them.

If skimmed milk is "virtually water", why bother with milk at all?

Interesting point, jams. Thanks for the info. It puts a different perspective on the issue. Apparently wool (raw fleece just sheared from sheep) is ridiculously cheap at the moment too. Farmers get about 40p per fleece and yet the wool trade in ages past made fortunes for people. Has the Wool Marketing Board also been abolished?

There are, of course, several alternatives to wool nowadays, which there weren't in profitable wool times.

skimmed milk actually has a lot less calcium than semi or full fat- so I truly cannot understand the reason for drinking it- most older women benefit from the calcium intake as bones tend to become depleted with age.

All your points are very valid just wondering if its a moral choice we have to make as in do we buy free range or cagged eggs?

granjura isn't it the other way round? When you remove the fat you are left with much more calcium. I just Googles it and found this: www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-197372/Which-milk-calcium.html

Since we have access to all kinds of other calcium-rich foods, I don't think the calcium in milk thing actually matters. Until recently most south-east Asian diets did not contain milk at all after baby weaning. Plenty of calcium in certain seafoods and certain tropical fruits that are plentiful there.

Excluding India. Thinking further east than that.

The reason I use skimmed (watery) milk is that I love cereal (and my cuppa) but hate milk. The skimmed milk allows me to enjoy my cereal without the yukky creaminess of semi skimmed or full fat milk.

Ah, that makes sense, gillybob. "Yucky creaminess" doesn't though. I sometimes have some cream on my cereal as well as whole milk. We only use whole milk and I loved drinking it as a child.

Nonnie- I am not doing too well today, am I- and yes, got to apologise again. Doh! Yes you are right. Still- skimmed milk tastes foul to me, lol - we always have semi-skimmed.

We all make mistakes jura just good that some admit it rather than keeping on digging.

We use semi-skimmed, but love whole milk as well especially the yucky creaminess.cream on cereal is pure bliss, or on porridge.

I think the farmers should have a fair return for their produce.
On eggs, I only buy free range eggs, would rather go without than eat eggs from poor old caged hens.I do think that the supermarkets have picked up on this though.

thanks nonnie ;)

and Rosesarered, I so agree. I make porridge with half water, half semi skimmed + mixed seeds- and top up with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar and a bit of cold milk - and once in a blue moon, a little cream and a drop of vanilla ;)

I pay more, as I only buy organic dairy produce. Not sure how it compares to production costs but there is an organic premium, like buying fairtrade.

Where do you find Fair Trade Milk?

Sorry you didn't say you did DJ. Ignore, unless there is such a thing

Last time I read up on organic produce it was stated that it was a waste of money to buy most of it with the exception being milk.