The British Retail Consortium has called on the government to help tackle yo-yo milk prices caused by a glut every spring.
Food policy director Richard Ali said it was vital milk supply was better matched to demand to stop the annual collapse in prices caused by oversupply in the middle of the year.
The BRC has written to DEFRA suggesting it works with a small group of retailers, producers and processors to look at whether a premium on milk produced in the off-season would encourage farmers to change calving patterns and even out the seasonal spikes in milk production.
"Demand for liquid milk is pretty stable, so if there is a sudden increase in supply, the only other outlet for the milk is mild cheddar, and demand for that is fairly stable too," said Ali. "So you get this problem with prices every single year. We have to do something or every year we will have production spikes and dropping prices."
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Food policy director Richard Ali said it was vital milk supply was better matched to demand to stop the annual collapse in prices caused by oversupply in the middle of the year.
The BRC has written to DEFRA suggesting it works with a small group of retailers, producers and processors to look at whether a premium on milk produced in the off-season would encourage farmers to change calving patterns and even out the seasonal spikes in milk production.
"Demand for liquid milk is pretty stable, so if there is a sudden increase in supply, the only other outlet for the milk is mild cheddar, and demand for that is fairly stable too," said Ali. "So you get this problem with prices every single year. We have to do something or every year we will have production spikes and dropping prices."
{{NEWS }}
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