Are some 'milking it'?

[Accyexplorer]

Farmers have staged untold protests in the past but they do get government top ups,so my question is this,are some farmers milking it?

Is 80p-£1.50 too cheap for 4pints of milk and would you be prepared to pay more?

Is it time farmers stopped thinking they're immune from market forces and its time they got a grip?

Farmers herd cows through aisles of Asda in protest at milk prices | UK news | The Guardian

[cashman]

Way i see it is when bottled water is dearer than milk,summats sadly wrong.

[Studio25]

If they are able to organise themselves enough to put their animals through the stress of a supermarket visit, surely they can collectively impose a moratorium on the sale of milk to supermarkets?

The supermarket would either have to cave in, buy from an alternative farmer, or import. Only the middle option keeps milk cheap, and if the supermarket is able to find a supplier, it means that it must be possible for a supplier to profit from cheap milk.

I've worked in two industries where the customer was only willing to pay an amount lower than the break-even point. In both cases, the business shut down.

While the farmers have my sympathy, there are plenty of other people with the same problem so they shouldn't get any preferential treatment beyond the EU subsidies and tax-free fuel they already get.

[Accyexplorer]

From what I've seen farmers have much more disposable income than most other folk,they choose to go into dairy farming something only a bad business person would do without calculating the pro's and con's.

[Gordon Booth]

I wouldn't mind paying a bit more to put them back in profit, they work long hours, just getting rid of the cow poo is worth a few pence a pint!

However- the National Farmers' Unions own ex Chief Economist points out that the average dairy farmer gets £28,000 per year off the Government(sorry, Taxpayer). Even he seems to think they're being a bit 'unrealistic for them to believe they can be paid whatever price they think is needed'.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

From what I've seen farmers have much more disposable income than most other folk,they choose to go into dairy farming something only a bad business person would do without calculating the pro's and con's.

Some dairy farms are passed down the families and have been in the family for generations.
Farming is a seven day a week job....a job where you are never clocked off.
The costs include veterinary bills to ensure the animals are healthy.
Would you work seven days a week? Forego holidays? Make a loss because supermarkets refuse to pay a reasonable price for a staple product?
If we do not pay a reasonable amount for milk then our dairy farmers will go bust and we will be importing milk from the continent....probably at a higher cost.
You make a sweeping generalisation without any evidence for your comment.....apart from 'what you have seen'.
How many farmers balance sheets have you seen?

I do not use a lot of milk or dairy products, but I would definitely be willing to pay more.....but only if it was going into the pocket of the dairy farmer.

[Gordon Booth]

Just looked up Perrier water.
750 ml bottle- Asda £1 That's £2.66 for two litres!
Tesco/Waitrose £0.96, nearly as bad.

Are people mad? Do they actually pay that? It's just pumped out of the ground and bottled! It's not even sparkling until they put the CO2 back in.

Milk's a third of the price and is actually good for you, definitely too cheap.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by cashman

Way i see it is when bottled water is dearer than milk,summats sadly wrong.

I have never been a fan of farmers,but its utterly ridiculous to me, it costs me more for a small bottle of water than 4 pints of milk,i can certainly understand em bitching.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Some farmers may sell off their land to those energy companies to build wind turbines on.....that won't put milk on your cornflakes.
It is all very well to castigate the farmers, they are just trying to make a living.

[Accyexplorer]

I understand them whining,I'm not sure I agree with it though.
I'd also be prepared to pay a little more for my milk.
They could always do what the rest of us do when we hit hard times and downsize etc,I'm only going off what I've seen of farmers.....which is admittedly very little

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by cashman

I have never been a fan of farmers

Is that because most of them are Tories

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

Milk's a third of the price and is actually good for you.

Debatable

[Gordon Booth]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

Debatable

Really?
Can you quote your source?
Unless you're lactose intolerant or allergic to milk it's universally recognised as good for you. Try being short of calcium, it's not funny.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

I'm only going off what I've seen of farmers.....which is admittedly very little

So you wouldn't whine or whinge if you were working all hours to look after your animals...And earn nothing because the supermarkets dictate the price they will pay.
You would downsize.....and how would that work then?
You sell the fields that your cattle need to graze on? You sell the animals so you have none to milk, but no income either.
As I said, you made a sweeping generalisation which had very little to substantiate it other than your own limited experience or what you might have read in the past.

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

Really?
Can you quote your source?
Unless you're lactose intolerant or allergic to milk it's universally recognised as good for you. Try being short of calcium, it's not funny.

Really? I thought it was common knowledge that milk is for calfs not really made for human consumption....my source is Beano or mind palace as I like to call it

Incase you want sources:-

http://www.notmilk.com