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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to pay more for my milk?

172 replies

hillyhilly · 21/01/2015 22:10

I don't want to screw British farmers but aside from a farm shop, I genuinely don't know where I should buy it.
I try to buy organic where possible and generally buy from Aldi though I do top up at Morrison's and Sainsburys local stores
I've looked for a facebook page but the one I found is not as active as it should be given the current focus.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 21/01/2015 23:16

YANBU.

If you're in the right part of the country, Booth's has a Fair Milk scheme - they promise to ensure they are paying more than any other supermarket.

To those supermarkets who want to (under)price milk as a 'loss leader' - well, that's fine so long as they take the loss and pay the producers a realistic price.

unlucky83 · 21/01/2015 23:25

Ifyour are you sure? Most Holstein dairy cattle are milk machines, bred with little muscle ...
My grandparents used to have some Friesian/Hereford crosses sold for beef to keep the Friesians producing milk ....unless they needed more diary stock then it was pure Friesian ...even then male calves were difficult to shift...Sad

unlucky83 · 21/01/2015 23:37

tinks I think if you worked out the hourly rate of most small farmers they don't make NMW ...never mind 5.6 weeks holiday pa pro rata...or sick pay...but then you can't really ever be sick or have a holiday if you have livestock they can't feed or milk themselves...its 7 days a week, 365 days a year....(I believe my GPs went on holiday for a week once in 60 yrs...)

wobblebobblehat · 21/01/2015 23:40

I have been thinking exactly the same thing.

I paid 1.30 for 6 pints in LIDL yesterday. It doesn't seem right.

Yes, competitive prices are great but I personally want a bit of quality and compassion. Business seems to be about screwing people over these days (suppliers and staff).

PrimalLass · 21/01/2015 23:44

We get it delivered.

Tinks42 · 21/01/2015 23:45

I have still never met a "poor" farmer... Ive met poor farm hands but never poor farmers. Most farmers own land. They are not poor. If for instance they had to sell that land, they would be comfortable. Hence, I have never met a poor farmer.

zukiecat · 21/01/2015 23:51

I hate milk and almost everything with milk in it, so I could happily live without ever having to buy another pint.

Only DD2 actually likes it and has it in tea, so one pint easily lasts a week and sometimes even then I'm throwing it away as she hasn't used it.

I'd happily pay a bit more for it though.

bobthebuddha · 22/01/2015 00:03

Country Living did some guidelines recently on where to buy.

And the NFU site is always worth checking for updates, such as this

unlucky83, there's also at least one 'slaughter-free' dairy farm in existence, which would be great for ethical vegetarians, but whether that will expand I don't know (or indeed how practical it could be on a larger scale, quite frankly). They're not taking on new milk-delivery customers as they're at capacity, but you can buy their other dairy products.

caroldecker · 22/01/2015 00:10

Aberdeen oil workers are losing thier jobs due to the low oil price

I demand to pay more for petrol

Parcel delivery firm goes bankrupt after Christmas

No more free delivery

emotionsecho · 22/01/2015 00:29

When this was last being discussed the price of milk was compared to the price of bottled water, the water being far more expensive, I think this is completely arse about face. I was recently in another Country and bottled water was dirt cheap, everyone drank it rather than the tap water, milk was much more expensive than water, but not excessively priced and easily affordable, seems to make more sense to me and I certainly buy my milk from one of the supermarkets mentioned in the article linked.

Tiptops · 22/01/2015 00:35

I feel sorry for the poor cows, not the farmers Confused

The dairy industry is horribly cruel, would be no bad thing if the whole industry dried up (no pun intended) with regards to animal welfare.

wobblyweebles · 22/01/2015 00:44

I paid 1.30 for 6 pints in LIDL yesterday. It doesn't seem right.

Wow that's just under $2 for just under a US gallon. The cheapest I ever see it here is $3 a gallon and I thought that was too cheap for the animals to be well-treated. I usually buy organic at $4.50 a gallon.

But then I'm seen as weird here (US) because I will only buy cage-free eggs at $3 or $4 a dozen even though I could get battery hen eggs for $2 for a dozen.

Tinks42 · 22/01/2015 01:04
Grin
emotionsecho · 22/01/2015 01:44

Tinks the land the farmers own is actually a requirement for their job for animals or crops. I did wonder how long it would be before someone trotted out that old chestnut about never seeing a poor farmer.

WhereIsMYJonathanSmith · 22/01/2015 02:57

I agree. It isnt acceptable. I listen to Farming Today on BBC Radio 4 most mornings and it is a regular topic on there.

A lot of dairy farmers are going out of business, so then what? we have to import our milk.

baskingseals · 22/01/2015 03:02

Buy organic. Job done.

startwig1982 · 22/01/2015 03:53

We buy milk from our milkman so we know which farm it comes from. More expensive but worth it.

FishWithABicycle · 22/01/2015 04:20

Not all farmers own their land. Tenant farmers work on land owned by others - they struggle to make ends meet and you probably haven't met so many of them as they don't have the time or funds to get out and meet new people that much.

I'd love a Fairtrade equivalent system for milk like there is for chocolate, coffee etc.

Plonkysaurus · 22/01/2015 05:48

Does the milk&more delivery service offer farmers a fair price?

W0rldCrashing · 22/01/2015 05:56

Buy organic. Booths, waitrose, M&S, Sainsburys and Tesco are the supermarkets named in the country living link.

I only buy duchy organics milk. I'm very much hoping farmers get a fair price from HRH!

(and don't get me started on the importance of organic dairy...)

BikeRunSki · 22/01/2015 06:01

Check out Milk and More to see if there is a milkman in your area.

Our milk is delivered direct from a farm 3 miles away. It is pasteurised and bottled on site. We can see the cues being milked between 3-6pm and it's on our doorstep at 11pm.

YonicScrewdriver · 22/01/2015 06:18

Thanks OP.

Eastpoint · 22/01/2015 06:23

Chottie I just had a look at my invoice, we pay 79p a pint to our milkman, but I just buy normal semi skinned. A lot of homes in our area use the milkman & the houses are close together which must help.

unlucky83 · 22/01/2015 06:56

tinks as emotion said they need that land ....even lots of tenant farmers if they sold up would be 'rich' ....after selling their equipment and stock ... But then they wouldn't have any income or skills to allow them to do much except work for another farmer ...which is badly paid even if they could find work....equivalent of someone selling their car which they need to get to work. They'd have more money in their pockets in the short term.. long term it would be a mistake...
Setting up a farm from scratch is not an easy or cheap thing to do. Once it has gone it has gone .... Almost impossible for them to change their mind, why farms are passed through generations.
The land will be bought/ used by bigger farms ....who can make it pay so more factory farming, less compassion for the livestock (or wildlife..).
And arable land is cheap to buy ...last time I looked (for something else) locally it was 6k per acre (maybe that was hectare?). Only worth more for building on but that wouldn't be allowed(planning), or the land isn't suitable ....

Inthedarkaboutfashion · 22/01/2015 07:12

I have suggested on previous threads that milk should be more expensive and have even shot down for my suggestion. I was met with people telling me that I have no understanding of how much their lives and shopping bills would be affected if they had to pay more for milk as they consume 30 pints a week as a family.
I would happily pay 80p a pint and I don't think it should be any cheaper than that in any shops.
I think farmers need to earn a living and I don't want milk from cows that can't be treated well due to the farmers income not being sufficient.

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