Dairy UK represents in Parliament

Dairy UK, the British dairy association, has offered its statements to the Westminster Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in the course of its inquiry into the proposed European Union dairy package, which is proposing to regulate farmer contracts and supply relationship throughout the European Unions. Jim Begg, Dairy UK director general, notes, “We are clear that we need to have profitable dairy farmers earning a decent return and with funds to invest in their businesses. Without this we have no farmers and therefore no industry.”
He further points out that the European Parliament package is still evolving, “But at this stage, it’s difficult to see how it will add to the pie, or address the key challenges of managing volatility of both input costs and market revenues. Indeed, some of the proposals may work against stability.
“We must be careful not to sacrifice all that we’ve gained in the industry with better supply group co-operation, the development of a wider range of farmer contracts and more stable supply relationships, which can lead to the payment of market premiums. A regulatory approach could prejudice this.”