FOR THE consumer, dairy products are a daily part of life.

They are taken for granted as a safe, nutritious and an essential part of daily diets.

But for dairy farmers the status quo is untenable.

Farmers 'protests' are not taken lightly, because they would much rather be at home running their business. But out of genuine frustration and desperation, farmers are choosing to highlight the very difficult position the sector is in and the need for change.

It is naive to think that dairy products are immune from the harsh realities of the modern global economics where commodity values are dependent of so many variables driving hugely volatile markets.

However, at current cost levels and the prices being paid to farmers for their milk, very few will be able to make any profit. This is not 'spin', it is a fact.

Compared to other types of farming, dairying is a high cost sector, with the average family dairy farm requiring inputs averaging over £400K a year in Scotland. For that average farm, every time the milk price drops by a penny a litre, it loses another £13k from its income.

In less than 12 months, some dairy farms have seen their milk price cut by 10p a litre meaning the annual lost income will be in the order of £135k.

Contrary to claims made by one retailer spokesman, dairy farmers in Scotland are amongst the most efficient in the world, have restructured and innovated and love and care for their cows. Yet we struggle to get a fair return for hours that regularly stretch from 5am milking to midnight calving.

For farmers the fundamental issue is fairness. The entire dairy supply chain from producer through processor, retailers and the consumer has to share the load of risk and reward.

The balance of powers in the dairy supply chain leaves producers vulnerable as global volatility increases price and cost. That leaves farmers as the lowest common denominator, supporting the margins of the supply chain.

This must change as there is real benefit to all in delivering a functional supply chain which reacts fairly and proportionately to market shifts, which will allow investment and innovation when times are good and builds resilience when markets are poor. The alternative is we lose producers and processors and increasingly reduce diversity of product available to the consumer.

There are initiatives to change this, but the reluctance of vested interest is blinding the obvious benefits to all of a more efficient, collaborative progressive food supply chain which will benefit all, including the consumer.

When the wholesale price of cheese falls by over 25%, consumers must wonder why the price on the shelf has barely moved and retailers are allowed to retain 50% of the margin on cheddar.

The wholesale price of butter has fallen by nearly 30% but the retail index has risen. Farmers and consumers are both losing out.

These are economics arguments, but the human story is more compelling. At the heart of the demonstrations in Scotland is quiet, intelligent, young Ayrshire farmer called Bryce, working more than double the working directive hours, and losing money every day. He is a highly accomplished dairy farmer who has invested and innovated. However the established norm is letting him and many other like him down.

Without a fairer system, the cost to the consumer will be that we lose Bryce and other innovative farmers and in Scotland, we lose credibility as an attractive place for investment in milk processing. Consumers will become ever more reliant on retailers and imported product to decide what we eat.

That would be a far higher price to pay than simply delivering dairy farmers a fair return for their milk.