First Milk confirms details of farmer meetings

First Milk’s board has confirmed details of a run of meetings with farmers ahead of the co-op’s AGM on 30 January.

Members of the co-op can meet directors and officials in Midlands, Scotland and Cumbria over the next two weeks.

See also: First Milk payment delayed explained

Farm leaders challenged First Milk’s management to explain in detail why it was forced to delay their next payment by two weeks and up their capital contributions to the co-op.

The first meeting was held in West Wales on Thursday (15 January) and the full AGM will be held at the end of the month in Haydock, Merseyside.

Elsewhere, Farmers For Action (FFA) called an open meeting on Thursday at Bakewell Livestock Market, Derbyshire, to discuss its protest plans for the year ahead.

FFA chairman David Handley has threatened to sell-up himself in the spring if milk prices don’t start to improve.

In a heated session at the Semex dairy conference in Glasgow, he urged farmers not to accept the injustices in the supply chain.

“For those of you that are lucky enough to still be here, don’t think you are going to be the profitable last man standing,” Mr Handley said.

“If you don’t stand up and fight for your industry, you will lose it.”