Wyke Farms increases milk prices

Wyke Farms, the UK’s largest independent cheese producer and milk processor, has announced a flat rate supplement of 0.5ppl to be added to its milk price for August 2012. The increase from Wyke Farms is in response to the current challenging environment created by extreme weather. The company, whose farming side of the business is also suffering from the effects of the extraordinary weather, has shared concerns with local farmers regarding the quality and yield of crops.

Richard Clothier, third generation family member and MD says, “We recognize that the farmers are under a lot of pressure with forage crops failing because of the extreme weather conditions. We hope that the farmers will use the money to cover winter feed because it is becoming clear that many will be struggling to feed the cows over the coming months.” Wyke Farms will review its milk price position again at the end of each subsequent month and given that it is also working through these challenges on its own farms, it is asking their cheese customers to recognize the importance of the supplement.

In March 2009 Richard Clothier issued a ‘Call for collaboration’ to the dairy industry. He warned that putting additional pressure on cheese, butter and liquid-milk prices could push yet even more dairy farmers out of the industry. Now, over three years later Clothier is calling upon the industry again, this time to other processors to follow their lead and increase milk prices; warning that there is a real risk to UK milk supplies in the next six months if they don’t.

He says: “Farmers are well aware of the problem, but there is a very real risk that the rest of us are unaware of the true extent of the forage crop failure and the impact that could have on milk supplies in the autumn and winter. To think that a weather change now would make things better is naïve and unrealistic – the pattern of milk supply is now set for a tough winter.” Wyke Farms has been producing its  cheddar for over a century and has grown to become the largest family-owned cheese maker in Britain selling over 14,000 tonnes annually.