Meadow Foods grabs shutting factory’s dairy farmers

Meadow Foods has signed up most of the farmers left stranded when a County Durham dairy announced its closure.

The 17 North Yorkshire farmers producing 10m litres of milk agreed the decision at a pub outside Whitby on Tuesday night.

Last month, Rock Farm Dairy, Wheatley Hill, Durham told its 24 dairy farmers it was stopping production due to “difficult trading conditions” and their contracts would not be renewed.

Rock Farm’s parent company UK Dairy Sales said it would continue to buy their milk into the autumn, but the new Meadow Foods farmers will be able to start supplying the company’s Holme-on-Spalding-Moor factory on 16 July.

See also: Meadow Foods profit rise 1.89%

Meadow Foods milk procurement director Jim Bebb said he was really happy to have the farmers in the Yorkshire factory’s milk field.

“They can see strength in numbers and they are keen to keep together.”
Jim Bebb, Meadow Foods milk procurement director

“They are good farmers and it is not very nice to hear your milk buyer say it is closing its doors,” he said.

“They can see strength in numbers and they are keen to keep together.”

The new recruits will take the Meadow Food’s total milk supply to 600m litres, coming from about 660 farmers.

The Holme-on-Spalding-Moor site, 20 miles south-east of York, produces the business’ sweetened dairy products including condensed milk and chocolate crumb.