Police break up milk demo
30 January 2001
Police break up milk demo
By FWi staff
LARGE numbers of police have broken up a demonstration by farmers at a milk bottling plant near Bristol on Monday (29 January) night.
Some 18 Farmers For Action (FFA) demonstrators were threatened with arrest if they tried to stop lorries leaving the Dairy Crest plant at Severnside near Bristol.
FFA chairman David Handley said demonstrators were caught by surprise when the lorries started up and moved out, accompanied by 45-50 officers.
“They told us we would be arrested if we tried to stop the lorries, but we were allowed to talk to the drivers if we wanted to,” he told FWi.
“We did talk to the first few, but then we decided to leave the site.”
FFA is protesting against Dairy Crests refusal to increase producers milk price from 01 January. Instead, it has offered a one-off 0.5ppl “special payment” for February.
Mr Handley has received no response to requests for a meeting with Dairy Crest to discuss a milk price increase of more than 1ppl.
FFA also protested outside plants at Davidstow, Cornwall, and Marshfield near Newport, Wales, on Monday night.
Protesters are reported to have returned to plants at Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire; Nuneaton in Warwickshire; Mylor, Cornwall; and Aspatria in Cumbria.
Decisions have not yet been finalised about protests at Totnes, Devon; Kidlington, Oxfordshire; and Chard in Somerset, say FFA.
Prices were raised 2ppl in October, and Dairy Crest says there is a strong case for a further increase in the price of raw milk used to produce retail liquid milk.
The company says the February goodwill payment is being made while “active discussions” continue with major customers.
Dairy Crest also claims to have increased the extent and frequency of meetings with farmers representatives in efforts to build successful future for the industry.