OMSCo appoints new managing director
Richard Hampton, the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative (OMSCo) former chief operating officer, has been appointed as managing director. Commenting on the announcement, OMSCo’s Chairman Nicholas Saphir said “The Board of OMSCo is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard as Managing Director. Richard has been involved over the last 12 years in successfully developing the […]
Farming organisations agree that work needed to improve milk contracts
A working group of farming organisations has met to assess the current state of the dairy sector and to review areas where they can work collaboratively. Representatives from the CLA, Farmers for Action, National Farmers Union, National Farmers Union of Scotland, NFU Cymru, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers and the Tenant Farmers Association […]
Feeding in volatile dairy markets
Dairy farmers will soon discover that 2015 will be a challenging year to maintain profitability, according to one industry expert. 2014 was a year characterized by both record high and low milk prices. The milk price in both the EURO and the US Dollar are converging and this could have an impact on exports from […]
Act responsibly urges NFU dairy board as milk quotas end after 30 years
As EU milk quotas come to an end this week, NFU dairy board chairman Rob Harrison has urged all countries to act responsibly and collectively in order to manage future volatility. Milk quotas were introduced in 1984 to address the structural oversupply on the EU market of the late 1970s and early 1980s that had […]
Reducing feed costs – new DairyCo funded research
Increasing the proportion of fresh grass in the diet of high yielding cows can be a viable option to reduce feed costs. However, farmers should be careful of milk yield reductions, suggests new DairyCo-funded research. “Feed and forage costs remain the single largest cost on GB dairy farms,” according to Dr Debbie McConnell, DairyCo research […]
Arla Foods 2014 Annual Results statement
Arla 2014 results 2014 was a year of growth for Arla Foods UK, the UK’s number one dairy company, despite challenging global conditions. At 2.8 billion euros (£2.3bn) the UK continued to be the largest market for Arla Foods amba representing 27 per cent of the group’s revenue. In line with group performance a strong […]
Dairy farmers deserve full support of Grocery Watchdog
Andrew George MP – who chairs the Grocery Market Action Group and was an architect of the groceries watchdog (the Groceries Code Adjudicator) – is calling on Ministers to give dairy farmers greater protection and support, particularly during a period when milk can be purchased at a price cheaper than water! Commenting on a Rural […]
First Milk members urged to check out business plans
First Milk members have been urged to reconsider their business plans to survive the milk price slump by John Owen, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers Council member and farm manager at Gelli Aur College, Carmarthen which carries a 500 cow split calving herd supplying First Milk. “We First Milk members, together with the rest […]
Farming leader highlights dairy crisis during Assembly breakfast
Farmers’ Union of Wales president Emyr Jones has highlighted the need for political leaders to come up with strategies which deal with the severe collapse in farmgate milk prices and the longer term viability of food production. Speaking after the function, during which he told a gathering of more than 100 AMs and industry leaders […]
