Dairy industry is like Brexit ... on a knife edge

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Shame on you Tesco. And not happy with demonising meat, they use a child to guilt trip consumers into buying a meat-free version. The advert promotes ‘changes to the old favourite, sausage casserole’, replacing pork sausages with ‘meat-free Cumberland’s.

The father in the ad said: “Just as tasty as it used to be.” “Better, actually,” his daughter added. Better my foot and well done to The SF for its 'alternative' advert starring Claire Taylor!

The NFU has contacted Tesco to raise its objections with the choice of language used. Its president, Minette Batters, said it not only has negative connotations for farmers, but also for the avocation of customers eating a healthy balanced diet. They should be promoting local and sustainable produce.

But let’s face it Tesco aren’t doing this because they believe in a plant-based regime, they are doing it in the name of sales! The UK’s largest retailer will jump on any bandwagon to make a profit. Sadly, it’s all about money and if we get caught in the crossfire, tough!

If they really wanted to save the planet, they would have abandoned plastic wrapping decades ago and turned off all the lighting in their stores designed to make their food look more attractive. I, for one, will not be shopping in Tesco for the foreseeable future.

Not only does my heart go out to the dairy farmers in North Wales and Cheshire following the collapse of Tomlinson’s Dairies, it also makes me nervous.

Producers received messages advising them to contact other dairies, to arrange alternative milk collections. The company gave no prior warning, leaving farmers with no one to collect their milk.

One of the producers affected is a friend, Mark Nutsford, who said his business is now on a knife edge. Mark – is one of 40 farmers on an aligned contract with Sainsbury’s – reckoned his business might not survive after losing six weeks’ worth of milk payments.

Mark and his family, like the vast majority of us, have invested their whole life into their cows and their business. Sainsburys were asked to step in and pay Tomlinson’s suppliers what they are owed. The answer, though, was 'no'.

The worry is, who’s next? It doesn’t bare thinking about, losing your whole life’s investment – not just in money, but in time and effort, in one fell swoop.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel in Kintyre, however. Or to quote one producer, 'there is a candle flicker –the light is a long way off!' A £50,00 crowd-funding scheme, launched by most of the farmers in the area, to take over the Campbelltown cheese creamery is now at over £80,000.

I’m reliably informed negotiations are ongoing, but there are still a lot of hurdles to jump. Around 50% of producers are supportive and the other 50% aren’t so sure. A lot of the outcome, though, very much depends on meeting the demands of First Milk.

Another worry is Müller's warning to Scottish farmers, that a surge in milk production is ‘not sustainable and has significant environmental consequences’. The company says it has 25% more milk than it needs. As a result, it is transporting 180m litres per year to England, where they can find a market for it.

The company added that the financial and environmental cost of moving this volume of milk is substantial. Therefore, they must work urgently with farmers and other industry stakeholders to address this increasingly unsustainable situation.

Does that mean they will levy the haulage charge onto their producers, as was the case in Aberdeenshire? I would imagine for some this would be a step too far.

All sectors within agriculture are struggling and for some this would be another, if not the final nail in the coffin. On the back of that, though, is the fact that poor mental health in agriculture is one of the 'unspoken challenges' facing the industry.

With farmers already under significant financial pressure, there has to be concerns over how this news is impacting on mental health. This will do nothing to lighten the load.

Hands up if you’re fed up being told how to farm? We’re all 'looked after' by a number of agencies who claim to have our best interests and futures at heart. I for one do not mind taking advice from anyone who has experience of what they’re talking about.

What I do mind is being told by someone who has learnt from a text book, or has a degree in some kind of animal management but has never actually been 'hands on'. For example, you get the comment 'your calves look really well' and you just know there’s a 'but' coming – 'But, I think you’d be better off feeding them with a powder higher in protein.'

Fellow calf rearers will all know what happens when young calves get too much protein. Calf rearing is a finite responsibility and not for the faint hearted! It can be extremely frustrating at times, but also very rewarding. As the saying goes, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

On a happier note, congratulations to the Scottish Holstein Young Breeders team who travelled to the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show, last weekend. They came home with some fantastic accolades – champion calf points, reserve team, reserve champion Holstein, reserve champion red and white, three calves pulled in the final six, four in the championship and all eight calves placed in the top four. What a team effort.

Anyone involved in showing knows the amount of time and effort that goes in. You really did themselves, their club and the country proud. Keep up the good work.

I had thought the next time I wrote on this page in November Brexit would be done and dusted. But EU leaders are now considering whether to delay the Brexit deadline beyond the end of the month.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his colleagues don't seem to want the date postponed as far ahead as the end of January and if EU leaders offer this, he will call for a general election. Therein lies another problem. Boris doesn't have enough MPs to trigger one and needs the support of other parties to make this happen. Wake me up when it’s all over.