With Northleaze farmer Robert Mallett
Justin Tomlinson MP today visited Northleaze Farm near Highworth to discuss the problems farmers face – from supermarkets to TB.
Northleaze Farm is a family dairy farm producing thousands of litres of milk a day. The farm was instrumental in the NFU’s campaign against the slashing of milk prices earlier in the year. The campaign was effective in forcing the retailers to back down but the dairy industry is still a challenge. Rising feed costs, bad weather and the threat of TB combine to make survival as a dairy farmer hard work.
Justin saw the milk process, from the refrigerated end product ready for collection all the way back to the queue of cows waiting to enter the milking parlour. There was also the opportunity to meet the farm’s newest additions, the 12 hour old calves.
Justin Tomlinson MP said “This was a really valuable opportunity to see first hand the impact that reduced milk prices can have on farms like Northleaze and the livelihoods of the farmer who run them.
“I have campaigned a lot in Parliament on consumer rights and forcing big retailers to give consumers a fair deal. It is important in this that the producers are not overlooked. I have recently also signed up for a campaign for clear labelling of production methods, enabling consumers to make an informed choice about the food they buy. With supermarkets in a race to the lowest possible price, this is becoming ever more important.
“The power very much lies with the consumer, and we saw this power to ‘vote with your feet’ during the milk boycott earlier in the year. Only Morrisons, the Co-Op and Asda had failed to back down on reducing milk prices, and consumer pressure from organised boycotts wade all the difference in getting them to back down too.
“Visiting Northleaze it was clear that the profit margins in the dairy business are tight at the best of times, even before taking into account the costs of TB, poor weather and increasing feed bills that are all threatening the survival of our dairy farms. Driving down the price of milk further is a death sentence.”
In the milking parlour
One of the farm's most recent additions