Milk producers across the UK have expressed their fury that the trade association, Dairy UK, believes supply chains are operating fairly and milk markets are working efficiently.
NFU Scotland’s milk committee chairman Graeme Kilpatrick described Dairy UK as “divorced from the reality” of what was happening at farmgate level.
He was responding to comments made by the organisation in a response to a consultation on strengthening the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in which it said there was “no systematic failure in the UK milk market”.
“Its comments have sparked outrage amongst every member of NFU Scotland’s milk committee,” Mr Kilpatrick said.
“After enduring the lowest milk prices for a generation, it has taken an appalling length of time for surging commodity prices for powder, cream and cheese to be passed back down the chain to those producing the milk – suggesting that the chain is far from being fair, efficient or transparent.
“If the supply chain were operating in the manner that Dairy UK would have us believe, then it would have absolutely nothing to fear from the Grocery Code Adjudicator’s remit being extended further down the supply chain or, if necessary, the voluntary code on milk contracts – of which, Dairy UK is a co-signatory – becoming compulsory.”
Dairy UK is the trade association for the British dairy supply chain. It brings together processors, dairy co-operatives, manufacturers, farmers and bottled milk buyers.
