Dairy justice

IT IS good to see that justice is prevailing with the big milk dairies backing down on their threat to reduce the price being paid to farmers for milk (your reports).

There is considerable sympathy for producers among the public who, I am sure, would have little problem with a modest increase in the price of milk, providing the rise is passed on wholly to the farmers.

The buying power of these mega-dairies is considerable, but this power when used unfairly has the resultant effect of driving farmers out of the milk business thereby creating evebigger problems of shortages.

Dennis Grattan

Mugiemoss Road

Bucksburn, Aberdeen

There is no doubting the crisis facing the UK dairy farming industry. While there are many factions playing the “political blame game”, it should be clearly understood how fortunate we are to have fresh, daily supplies of such a fortifying staple as milk.

It may be that the farming industry’s reputation has been tarnished by supporting European Union rules that allowed substantial grants to be paid for not growing or producing goods to maintain a financial stability in a market. The result is a general feeling among the public of rich farmers who don’t really require public sympathy or support – but the realism is that we all have a vested interest in maintaining a good dairy industry.

The simplest comparison of price structure is with the alcohol industry, where the Scottish Government has introduced a minimum price per alcohol unit. This has been introduced for the benefit of a more healthy Scotland, and will soon be copied in other parts of the UK.

Scotland should take the lead again: an open inquiry could arrive at fair pricing per litre, not to make the farmers, milk processors nor the supermarkets vast profit, but a fair price which would gain full public support, and safeguard an important and necessary industry.

Derek Marks

Brook Street

Broughty Ferry, Dundee