[Closed] Something to think about over your cereal or coffee this morning

Certain supermarkets ahould pull their finger out and pay a fair price for milk. Sure everyone is squeezed at the moment but the public would pay a couple of pence more to keep dairy farming alive in this country.

[i]I know there is little sympathy here for farmers[/i]

[i]I expect all the usual land barron/range rover comments [/i]

I think you could have just put the message about milk prices across without metaphorically getting 2 inches from everyones faces and saying "You got a problem with that? Eh?"

Just saying.

Don't think as a mountain biker I've ever had a cross word with a farmer, tbh.

There was a witch with a smallholding who had a go at me for riding ont he footpath behind her land but that's about it.

re: milk prices signing petitions will do nothing. Either people stop buying it at the lower rate as a boycott (which would just depress prices further, I assume) or farmers refuse to sell it at the prices offered (which would limit supply and increase prices). There is a perception that farmers cry wolf a bit to often every time there's a change in the market for anything. I listen to Farming Today fairly regularly and if they're not blaming the buyers for losign them money they're complaining about the weather (it was rain and the pea harvest today). Generally, like most businesses they get good years and bad years, though, and everyone likes to have a moan 😉

I reckon a lot of people would be fine with paying more for milk as long as it went to the farmers but there's not a lot of scope for doing that the way the system is run. I can't see supermarkets trialling a more expensive option either.

Can't they join a union?

Friend of mine is a dairy farmer. Works very hard and per litre gets very little profit on what he sells. That said, he does sell a LOT of milk and makes decent money but is constantly worried about what happens when the supermarkets decide they really want milk at lower prices. Like others I'd happily pay more if it went to the farmers not the supermarkets (which is what actually happens where I live now; milk being 30% more expensive than the UK).

Like others I'd happily pay more if it went to the farmers not the supermarkets

I'm all for supporting them

I take it when the boots on the other foot and the consumer is suffering with high prices for something or other, the farmers won't milk it 😉 for every penny they can get?

They wouldn't do that to us would they?

Hmm, based upon the Farmers I've known I couldn't see them supporting increased prices for anything they'd buy.

And we really need to get to the bottom of this 'less than production price'. This would be a good start, read about milk quota's:

http://rpa.defra.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/UIMenu/4A334E8354FFBC6680256F72003D5985?Opendocument

http://www.townsendcharteredsurveyors.co.uk/sales-leases-transfers-c44.html

Did you know that you could 'own' the right to produce milk, and then sell it on to an actual Farmer?

Why don't they just knock it on the head, flog their cows to Maccy D's and turn their land into golf driving ranges? They'll be quids in then!

shouldn't we be lobbying for the supermarkets to be paying more to the farmers for their produce and reducing their margins? the big supermarkets make a hideous amount of money come rain or shine, they can afford to take the hit.

The sole purpose of supermarkets, as with any other public company, is to maximise returns for their share holders. The problem is the lack of regulation, company's don't give a stuff about their producers and never will.

[i]The problem is the lack of regulation[/i]

Everyone wants regulation as long as it works in their favour 🙂

If we regulate milk prices/supermarket profits do we also regulate feed prices or cap the price of agricultural land?

What a truly useless link in the OP. It didn't make any sort of case and just offered a slogan without any suggestion why it should be supported. I can only conclude that their argument is so weak that they can't be bothered to make it, or they believe that they automatically deserve sympathy just because they are farmers without any need to explain why.

company's don't give a stuff about their producers and never will.

They should switch to growing chicken vindaloo or something;

[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/10/curry-ingredients-sustainability ]http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/10/curry-ingredients-sustainability[/url]

[url= http://www.fwi.co.uk/business/milk/ ]Main Milk Page[/url]

The aim of this is mostly to raise awareness. The solution/answer is being debated.

I can see the march on parliament now;

"What do we want?"

"Errm, that's still being debated"

"When do we want it?"

"Now!"

It is consumer driven tbh (like aparagus from Peru), it's no good waving a placard about, buy your milk from a milkman who you can speak to and check pays a fair amount for the milk he delivers.

It really is not on to be moaning about supermarkets, while continuing to shop in them.

It really is not on to be moaning about supermarkets, while continuing to shop in them.

I thought it was the dairies which had cut the price they were paying farmers for their milk, not the supermarkets ?

So who's the culprit here and who's the victim? [url= http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/03/07/2012/133714/Now-Arla-to-slash-milk-price-by-2plitre.htm ]This[/url] implies that supermarkets base their prices on the cost of production and it's the big processors that are doing the squeezing.

Incidentally I bought 24 pints of milk in Tesco yesterday and I didn't even look at the price - is it really a loss leader for the supermarkets?

Edit: E_L - you beat me to it.

Was responding to comments on this thread about regulating the supermarkets tbh.

Of course the Dairies sell their milk on to someone, presumably the supermarkets can put pressure on the dairies?

Of course it isn't just the cost of the milk we drink, but the vast quantities that are used in all the processed food we buy.

Depends on how you define culprits and victims?

In pure economics you have the following parties: the farmers (usually working is some form of co-op), the milk processors and the supermarkets (and other retailers). Farmers only achieve about 3% of the profit available to all in the milk value chain as they have very weak bargaining positions. Not surprisingly the bulk of the available profits does go to the s'markets - they have buying power plus option of sourcing milk ex UK.

But behind this who is being hit hardest at the moment?

Past two years the average price of milk has fallen from 62p to 57p (ask your MP !), the price for farmers has risen from 24p to 27p. The retailers margin has stayed constant at 35% but the processors in the middle are the guys who have been hit hardest. Their margins have fallen from 40% to 27%.

Should we therefore feel sorry for the processors? 😉

[i]Farmers only achieve about 3% of the profit available to all in the milk value chain as they have very weak bargaining positions.[/i]

How does that compare with say, carbon frame manufacturers for the 'premium' bike brands? My guess it's probably about the same?

Should we therefore feel sorry for the processors?

Or how much does Giant make on every Trek frame sold?!? 😉

Vote with your feet folks.
You can do this by using a milk man (we still use one). Yes we pay more, however the money goes to the farmer, there is no big plastic cartons for landfill. Also his cows are actually out at grass.
We can't sustain the amount of plastic milk containers going into landfill.

If we don't pay decent prices for British milk the supermarkets will just bring it in from other countries.

The OP has brought up this subject which is very close to my heart - thanks.

If dairy farmers don't make money selling milk why do they continue to do it? Public service? Surely they have these bloody great fields and know how to keep livestock so why not all switch to producing beef cattle? I am sure the mark-up must be massive.

And just think, with all that competition, we might be able to get a full fillet for 99p.

Mmmm, meat.

Not sure ds, but they have been really squeezed by the supermarket price war and relatively speaking much more that the farmers who have actually pushed through price rises against the falling overall retail price of milk.

There is a big study published every July, so perhaps this is the build up to this and some pre-announcement lobbying?

Bunnyhop - Member
If we don't pay decent prices for British milk the supermarkets will just bring it in from other countries.

Which is exactly what they have done, but interestingly it seems that the middle men have been hit relatively hardest in all this.

Dairy intolerance is the future.

We use the Milk Man for our milk , not sure if it's much better for the farmer but certainly for the environment as the bottles are re-used entirely.

I spoke to an Asda employee on Monday about this (they are trying to build an Asda store near us, so we went to the consultation) and he said if they put up milk prices in their stores, there would be a media outcry - b*ll*cks!

Should we therefore feel sorry for the processors?

27% margin still seems pretty good to me so I don't have much sympathy for them, although my view is clouded by the fact that one of them is building a giant processing plant on formerly open countryside near me thanks to some dodgy planning decisions!

If we don't pay decent prices for British milk the supermarkets will just bring it in from other countries

There is suspicion in some quarters that the processors will be doing this, not the supermarkets.

Vote with your feet folks.

You can do this by using a milk man (we still use one).

But whatever you do don't waste the precious stuff on children.

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