Adam Leyland - Editor

Milk has long been one of the most political items in UK shopping trolleys.

As politicians know all too well, the price of a pint is one of those emblematic facts about British life anyone in public office has to be ready to recite at the drop of a hat. (Though they would, of course, be better served knowing the price of a four-pinter.)

But milk’s political capital is changing fast. Increasingly, farmgate price is commanding as much attention as retail price. Whereas in the past, politically minded shoppers would get exercised about air miles for imported commodities, or even GM, these days the ethics of the humble pint loom large.

Retailers are talking to shoppers about dairy supply and taking out newspaper ads to explain how they’re looking after dairy farmers. Following protests over the summer, major concessions to farmer prices and contracts were made. And this week - in the midst of a refugee crisis and with several member states in deep economic crisis - the EU found €500m to support farmers, thousands of whom had marched on Brussels.

That milk should have become so politically charged is both remarkable and inevitable. As we set out in an in-depth analysis on the current milk crisis, the dairy market has become a perfect melting pot of global and domestic change.

From the removal of EU quotas to the rise of the discounters, from relations with Russia to changing consumer patterns in China, it’s a heady combination set to keep milk top of the political agenda long after this current crisis has blown over.

Encouragingly, the sector is starting to respond to this. Major UK dairy companies have made changes to their senior management in recent months, who are bringing some much-needed fresh thinking to the sector. In addition, dairy is home to some of the brightest entrepreneurs in fmcg today, and there is plenty of potential for innovation and added value.

For proof, look no further than The Dairymen supplement, which you’ll find with this week’s issue of The Grocer. It paints a picture of an industry with many big mountains to climb - but also has many beacons of hope along the way.

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