Dairy farmers on the Isle of Bute have announced plans to make all of their milk free range in a bid to secure a better price for their produce.
The move to sign up to the Free Range Dairy Pasture Promise label comes following a series of meetings, hosted by Bute Estate, with dairy consultants Promar International and representatives from the dairy label.
Last month the estate announced plans to give its dairy tenants a rent holiday for the next agricultural half year, which runs between May and November, if their milk price does not significantly improve.
They also pledged to offer farmers financial assistance to help the whole dairy sector on the island.
The rent holiday and new milk branding comes on the back of the fact the milk price received by the island’s dairy farmers is now half of what it was a year ago.
The producers supply Glasgow-headquartered farmers’ co-operative First Milk which has been at the centre of the current dairy crisis.
After capital contributions they receive around 17p a litre for their milk.
Bute dairy farmer Aleck Nairn said: “As an island we already offer a great level milk supply of 15million litres a year. We haven’t missed a delivery in the five years our milk’s been processed off island. My milk can be on the M8 on the outskirts of Glasgow in under an hour. The public want their dairy products to be come from cows that are able to live the type of life on a farm that in this part of Scotland we are able to give them. For me the commitment to Free Range Dairy is about building on what we already have – which is a great product.
“However, we do need to receive a fair price for it. The price we are currently receiving is well below the cost of producing it and without a significant increase in the price over the next few months I will be forced to sell the cows.”
Dairy consultant David Cooke from Promar International said: “We have looked at the added value Free Range might bring by scenario testing it with some of the large processors. Our research shows significant public interest but we will need a supermarket and processor to take it to market on a large scale.”
Meanwhile, findings from a survey reveal the majority of consumers what to buy milk from cattle grazed on pasture.
A YouGov Poll commissioned by animal charity World Animal Protection found that 87% of people surveyed wanted to buy “free range milk” from cows that grazed on pasture.
The poll also revealed that 56% of consumers would pay more for “free range milk” and 86% thought cattle should not be permanently housed indoors.
The charity has now launched a campaign to urge supermarkets to stock “free range milk” and give consumers the chance to buy milk from cattle they know have been grazed outside.