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HUNDREDS of British dairy farmers will not be paid on time after co-op producer First Milk opted to withhold cheques for two weeks.
Around 80 per cent of Britain’s milk comes from domestic producers, but farmers are buckling as the price negotiated by big processing firms plummets.
“Our priority is to make the business and our processing assets as secure as possible in order that we can continue to process and market every litre,” said Tory MP and First Milk chair Jim Paice.
Milk price controls were abolished by the Tories in the 1990s, leaving farmers vulnerable to global prices, cheaper imports and pressure from processors and supermarkets.
“The last thing we want at the moment is for First Milk to go into receivership — that would bring 800 million litres of milk into the marketplace which is already flooded with milk,” said Farmers for Action chair David Handley.
