Milk prices currently the same as the 1980s

THERE has been anger in the dairy farming community at the latest cuts to milk prices.
Earlier this month cross-border cooperative Lakeland Dairies announced it was cutting its milk price for July supplies, with its baseline to be paid to farmers in the North of 39.3p/l – a reduction of 1ppl on June.
Lakeland said this was due to declining market prices over previous weeks, due to a global increase in supplies and a decrease in demand as a result of “ongoing trade and geopolitical tensions.”
The Cavan-based co-op added it would continue to monitor the markets and would “endeavour to support our farmers with the best milk price possible” in line with current conditions.
However, the news has not been well received, with one farming support group branding it “an absolute disgrace with virtually the same price being paid in 1987.”
William Taylor from Farmers For Action questioned the logic of the move, stating such cuts were “driving dairy farmers out of business.”
“Just like suckler farmers are being driven out by the large abattoirs across the UK paying an abysmal price for beef when it should be well over £8 per kilo and now those same processors are becoming short of the raw material, the same can be said for grain farmers being fleeced by multi-national grain and oil seed corporates,” he said.
“Farmers now receiving prices close to 40 years ago and yet all we hear on the main stream news is food inflation – it’s certainly not coming from farmers who do not control the retail price of food.
“The Government also does not control the retail price of food – this is controlled by Tesco watching Asda, watching Lidl, watching Sainsburys etc and guess who finishes up with all the profits in between.
“In short, farmers are losing out beyond belief and consumers are paying the price for less food, more packaging and more sugar.”
Mr Taylor added, “The current Government in Stormont has the chance in what little time remains in this mandate to sort this problem by introducing the Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill, which would return farmers a true cost of production inflation linked plus a margin for their produce.
“The current Government has had every chance during this mandate to put the Bill into statute, however, the two largest parties, Alliance and the Department for Agriculture including the Minister won’t support family farmers getting properly paid.”