Must-attend events for Scottish dairy farmers in July

Scottish dairy farmers are being urged to attend meetings on the future of dairy farming in Scotland being held in early July.   

The must-attend meetings, being held in Kinross (3 July); Thainstone (3 July); Castle Douglas (4 July) and Renfrew (4 July) are in anticipation of the UK Government’s consultation on the regulation of contracts between dairy farmers and processors.

The consultation is likely to be the most significant for the industry since deregulation of the milk industry 25 years ago.

Government has acknowledged that there is a need to improve stability in the dairy supply chain by addressing bargaining power, contract terms such as exclusivity, trust and transparency.  

The seminars, which are open to all, will help inform farmers and other stakeholders of the potential for change in the dairy sector and will be led by well-informed experts from NFU Scotland, NFU England and Wales, AHDB and Scottish Government.

Speaking on the first day of the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh (20 June), NFU Scotland Vice President Martin Kennedy said: “This is the start of the most important conversation with dairy farmers and other stakeholders in a quarter of a century.   

“UK farming unions have a strong desire to work with farmers, processors and retailers to develop the type of relationships which will drive fairness, efficiency and competitiveness in the UK dairy sector, making it fit for purpose for decades to come.

“The voluntary code on milk contracts, agreed in 2012, covering dairy contracts, has disappointingly fallen short of expectations and Government now sees a need for some form of statutory requirement to secure more equitable, progressive dairy contracts between farmer and processor.

“These seminars are the beginning of an ongoing discussion to agree what an effective milk contract should cover and how this is agreed.  I urge every dairy farmer in Scotland, where possible, to get involved and feed in their views.  It’s your dairy industry and it’s your future.”  Ends

Notes to Editors

• NFU Scotland is seeking views on the forthcoming Government consultation which aims to improve stability in the supply chain by regulating dairy contracts.
• The forthcoming seminars will be an objective discussion based on independent research to help dairy farmers better understand the aims of the Government review and consultation and feature contributions from AHDB, Scottish Government and NFU. 
• The meetings are as follows:
  • Wednesday, 3 July: 11am to 1pm: Green Hotel, Kinross
  • Wednesday, 3 July: 7pm to 9pm: Glen Garioch Room, Thainstone
  • Thursday, 4 July: 11am to 1pm: Ernespie House Hotel, Castle Douglas
  • Thursday, 4 July: 7pm to 9pm: Normandy Hotel, Inchinnan Road, Renfrew.
• Dairy farmers seeking to attend are asked to call 0131 472 4000 or Email: info@nfus.org.uk  to book a place.
• If media would like to attend, please contact media@nfus.org.uk