Dairy farmer unrest

There are a lot of raised voices as dairy farmers react to news from their milk buyers that the milk price is to be cut again. It takes some mind bending to grasp the fact that in the world of milk the buyer dictates what they will pay even when — as in the case of the pence per litre farmers get — that price is below the cost of producing the lovely stuff.On the farm we continue to change and develop the way we manage the dairy herd, with our stewardship style of farming intact. Our milk buyer is a large UK cooperative of farmers. Its Kendal dairy makes yogurt, desserts and cottage cheese for its own brands and the supermarkets.Promoting local distinctiveness in the farm shop is one way of maintaining long-established links with lots of other producers and suppliers in our rural economy, and we’re grateful that keeping trade local and fair is a principle that many of our customers support. It keeps us all in business!