The FUW has welcomed a move by retailer Morrisons, which will see the creation of a new milk brand designed to help struggling dairy farmers.
The new ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand will cost an extra ten pence in store, with the extra money being passed back to those farmers supplying the co-operative Aria.
“Milk prices have fallen drastically over recent months and this has caused tremendous pressure on family dairy farms in Wales,” said FUW milk and dairy produce committee chairman Dei Davies.
“The introduction of this new brand will further aid in bringing the issue of low milk prices to the consumer and allows for an ethical milk choice to be made.”
Mr Davies said that the FUW was encouraging shoppers to support British farms by choosing this new brand.
“The FUW has worked closely with the Wales Fair Trade Forum and the union continues to promote the concept of a fair price for a fair product.
“The introduction of this new milk brand is akin to a British fair trade product and this is something we wholeheartedly support.
“However, given that around 80 percent of the milk processed in Wales goes into cheese production, it is important to remember that Welsh farmers are not only affected by the price of liquid milk, but also by the price of other dairy products,” he added.
The FUW will therefore continue to draw attention to the need for fair farm gate returns in up and coming meetings with those bodies involved in the supply chain.
