Update: Farmers in blockade at Robert Wiseman Dairy (From Somerset County Gazette)

Farmers in blockade at Robert Wiseman Dairy

7:39pm Thursday 19th July 2012 in News By Newsdesk

FRUSTRATED dairy farmers have decended on Robert Wiseman Dairy in their hundreds tonight as part of a group blockade.

Protest group Farmers For Action (FFA), led by David Handley, a Monmouthshire dairy farmer, is reporting on Twitter 500 farmers are planning to bring heavy machinery for a blockade at the dairy tonight.

The action comes following an announcement by the dairy firm that it was to cut its milk price by 1.7p per litre from August 1.

Farmers feel they are losing money on each litre of milk produced.

James Badman,38, who works at Garden End Farm near Wells, said:"We've got about 100 tractors here so far,with more on their way to stop the loads from coming through.

"We have nothing against the staff.

The site manager has been out to us and is liaising with the farmers. "We need all milk price cuts to be reinstated.

"It's costing an average family dairy farm about £40,000.

"The level of support here tonight only emphasises how dire the price drops have made the situation."

Last week almost 3,000 farmers attended a Dairy Crisis Summit in London, organised by the NFU in response to reductions in milk prices over the past few months.

A rallying call went out by farmers for all milk price cuts since February 1 to be reinstated by August 1, fair and clear milk contracts between dairy farmers and milk purchasers and the creation of a ‘Grocery Ombudsman’ to monitor trading practices.