The Price of Milk

Although we all have a vested interest; if the dairy farmers in this country are forced out of business by these supermarkets then we will be forced to buy imported milk.

I saw that petition his morning and signed it. The big supermarkets are fleecing the farmers. We need a bit of fair trade practice in Britain.

Phoenix I am a vegetarian and I agree with you about veal calves why not eat them. veal can and should be farmed humanely.

I could not get back on earlier, so glad to see this is still going and people are signing.

Thanks everyone (not that I have a vested interest, although we have farmers in the family they are not dairy farmers).

Signed KateK

Thanks Jane I've blitzed my Facebook page with all this information to likeminded friends.

Signed Katyk

www.theguardian.com/money/2012/jul/27/dairy-farmers-milk?CMP=share_btn_fb

Ana Here's another Guardian article explaining why you shouldn't buy milk from Morrison's, Aldi or Lidl.

Waitrose tends to pay a reasonable price for milk because they have their own dairy farm and understand the costs involved.

This is running until end March if anyone wants to sign.

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/73628

Agreed rose

Also Nfk if your organic milk comes from grass fed cows (not always the case) it will be rich in nutrients not found in cows fed on nuts.

I agree Rose, the supermarkets should bear the cost.

We do pay the extra for organic milk. It tastes much nicer and apparently there's more vitamins etc from grass fed cows. I would be happy to have non organic milk provided it came from grass fed outdoor reared animals but there's no guarantee it isn't from cows which never get to go outdoors. You get what you pay for - but I do feel sorry for farmers who treat their animals well but aren't organic so their milk gets put in with all the rest.

If supermarkets want to sell milk as a 'loss-leader' then they should bear the cost.

Some outlets which give a fair price to producers ( that does not mean a good price)

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttp://www.countryliving.co.uk/news/milk-prices

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/milk-prices-petition

www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/12/dairy-industry-crisis-falling-milk-prices-national-farmers-union
Sorry, hit wrong button!

Our milk comes from a local herd. I pay more for it, but it comes in a bottle which (IMO) makes it tasteless plastic. I'm hoping they can keep going.

i don't wholeheartedly support the notion of cheap food. It tends to mean animals are kept in poorer conditions, crops are over-sprayed and so on. I'd rather pay a bit more and eat a bit less.

The farmer is bottom of the heap as far as milk prices are concerned
The Guardian's article yesterday makes interesting reading

So where do we buy it from? And how do we know that the more expensive outlets aren't just lining their own pockets?

I would gladly pay more for milk, and can't really understand how it's come to this. Was there really a huge consumer demand for cheap milk?

Agree, jane. The supermarkets are engaged in a price war, their profits are down and they'll be coming down even harder on the growers and farmers.

There is a similar Facebook campaign urging people not to buy milk from the cheaper supermarkets. If our dairy industry is destroyed all milk will be sourced abroad and the land sold off for building. Surely it is worth paying few pennies more ?

Not sure it helps to buy from the milkman - I think it all comes from a central source.
I just try to always buy British yoghurt, butter and cream - Yeo usually. And Stilton and other British cheeses.
I'd be quite happy to pay more in the supermarket for milk if the money went back to the farmers and saved the UK Dairy industry.

I'd be surprised if the milkmen get their milk from the farmer! Would be interesting to know where the milk comes from, I bet there's a middleman or two.

We also get our milk arrived by the milkman. It is more expensive but hopefully the farmers get a fairer price. I bought some last week from the supermarket for a coffee morning and was shocked when I saw how cheap it was.

Farming is incredibly hard work and those who work in the industry deserve decent pay and conditions.

Buying milk in supermarkets is very cheap these days, however to support farmers I still buy milk from the milkman who has been delivering to us for over 40 years.

A pint costs 65p (much more expensive than supermarket prices), but worth the extra cost.