A TOTAL of 50 farmers have registered their interest in joining a new representative forum for producers supplying Müller UK.

In regions where there are multiple candidates forward, ballots will now take place for places on the proposed 21-member Müller Milk Group Forum, with voting packs set to be sent to farmers next week. The election process will be handled independently, with a view to the new MMG Forum being in place by mid April.

Once in place, this new body will be responsible for electing a Milk Group board which will meet with Müller management on a monthly basis. The forum will also have the right to determine the future representative structure for the 1900 farmers who supply the company, including whether or not producer organisation status might be appropriate.

It will also consider what resources are required to properly represent and communicate with MMG farmers, and whether a subscription should be raised to fund this work. Müller has agreed to provide initial funding for the forum whilst these issues are being considered.

Agriculture director Rob Hutchison said: “We are very encouraged by the interest from farmers in taking up these important posts and confident that the forum will bring strong representation of the farmers who supply us.

“We are also very pleased with the take up of our new contract from farmers since its launch at the end of February," he added. "We are investing heavily in adding value to milk at our network of dairies and we aim to build an aligned supply chain where everyone benefits from the sustainable growth which this investment will drive."