Tesco UK pledges to support British dairy processors

Tesco in the UK has extended its sustainable pricing model to its British cheese supply base.
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In a decision announced yesterday, Wednesday 2 September, Britain’s biggest supermarket retailer, Tesco UK, promised to pay its processors 29.93p/l (39c/l) for the milk that goes into its cheeses for the winter. The milk for the cheese will be supplied by First Milk and South Caernarfon Creameries, both British dairy brands. The promise has been backdated to begin on 31 August this year.
Tesco has also pledged to use the Müller Wiseman brand for all fresh milk sold in One Stop stores, a subsidiary of Tesco UK since 2003, with all milk carrying the Red Tractor logo. This announcement will come into effect from 1 December 2015.
The retailer has promised that, in future, all country-of-origin labels on cheese only specify one origin.
The announcements came after a meeting between Tesco and representatives of Farmers for Action (FFA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU). An FFA spokesperson said that the meeting was only able to come about due to the protest carried out by farmers on 16 August at Tesco stores in Avonmouth and Widnes.
Protests
British dairy farmers held a series of protests in July and August in reaction to a low milk price, saying that retailers have consistently kept prices of dairy-based products up in shops, while wholesale prices have fallen.
At the end of August, several supermarkets across the UK increased the price paid to producers for liquid milk.
Reaction
Reacting to yesterday’s announcement by Tesco, NFU dairy board vice-chair Michael Oakes said: “We are pleased that Tesco has recognised the challenging time the dairy industry is currently facing. This is especially welcome as we are heading towards the winter when farmers face significantly higher costs of production while cows are housed.»
FFA chair David Handley said: “The NFU and FFA have held positive talks with Tesco and we are pleased that it has listened to our very real concerns and is offering some kind of security for our struggling dairy industry. We need the processors to ensure they can pass on the benefits of this commitment back to our dairy farmers on the ground.”
Müller Wiseman
Müller Wiseman Dairies is one of the largest milk suppliers and distributors in Britain. It is part of the umbrella company Müller UK & Ireland, which has 19 sites nationwide and employs around 6,000 people. The company works with more than 1,200 British Red Tractor farm-assured dairy farmers.
 
Source: FarmersJournall
 

Mirá También

Así lo expresó Domingo Possetto, secretario de la seccional Rafaela, quien además, afirmó que a los productores «habitualmente los ignoran los gobiernos». Además, reconoció la labor de los empresarios de las firmas locales y aseguró que están «esperanzados» con la negociación entre SanCor y Adecoagro.

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