Dairy farmers give up on organics

16 October 2001



Dairy farmers give up on organics

By FWi staff

BRITISH dairy farmers are abandoning plans to convert to organic status because they cannot compete with cheap imported milk, it is claimed.

The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) has warned that a flood of imports, caused by the weak Euro, is displacing home produced organic milk.

Some farmers converting to organic have abandoned the conversion process because the benefits have virtually disappeared, the union said.

FUW milk committee chairman Robert Voyle said the rewards for organic production were not as great as they were a few years ago.

I have heard reports of farmers who have abandoned plans to convert to organic production because it simply does not pay them to do so.

FUW vice-president Brian Walters said: Its a worrying time for dairy farmers, particularly those who have converted to organic production.

“The continuing weakness of the Euro means that some processors and supermarkets can import organic milk at a lower price from abroad.

“We are being squeezed out of the market by cheap foreign imports.”

Mr Walters, who runs an organic dairy farm in Carmarthen, said many farmers had converted to organic in the belief they would get higher prices.

The average price paid to organic dairy farmers was 28.5p per litre, compared with 20p per litre for conventional milk, he added.

But Mr Walters said he knew of some organic farmers who were paid 22p per litre just 2p per litre more than conventional farms.

One farmer was offered just 18p per litre for his herds organic milk because he was located off the beaten track and transportation costs were high.

“There is a general problem in the dairy industry where the overall price for all produce is too low,” said Mr Walters.

• Ministers urged to boost local food, FWi, 16 October 2001
• Organic milk price under threat, FWi, 12 April 2001
• British farmers lose out on organics, FWi, 14 June 2000