Knock for mega-dairy
By Alison Park, 17 February 2011 –
The plans to build a new dairy farm at Nocton in Lincolnshire that would house 3770 cows were withdrawn yesterday. The proposal had caused great controversy, not least because of distaste for dairy farming on that scale. It has been a hugely polarised debate, as most are when conducted in the media. I’m heartened that there is such default support for small to medium sized family farms. I really hope it shows in people’s commitment to buy local and organic milk. Farmers, like any other business people, make decisions to invest based on market conditions. Dairy farmers go out of business at the rate of 2 – 3 per day in Britain at the moment. There have been grim predictions of the inevitability of super-scale food production if farmers continue to be paid a price somewhere below the cost of producing the milk. Buying direct and buying local keeps people connected with the farmers and the farms that produce the food. It’s good for us all!