Farron backs Dairy Coaltion pressure to call in code breakers

Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has backed calls made by the NFU and the Dairy Coalition who are asking the Government to 'call in' milk buyers who do not implement the voluntary code.

The Voluntary Code was agreed by the farming community, processing representatives and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as the preferred policy alternative to legislation that was proposed by the European Commission. This followed the controversy that emerged last year when supermarkets and other milk buyers decided to reduce the amount of money that farmers receive for their milk, putting even some of the most established dairy farmers at risk.

Processors were offered until the end of last April to comply with the terms of the code by providing fairer and better contracts to dairy farmers.

The Dairy Coalition has been putting pressure on milk buyers to 'do that right thing'.

Commenting Tim said: "The Voluntary Code was a really important step forward, but it is doesn't work unless everyone signs up to it. We need to make sure that milk buyers are giving our dairy farmers a fair deal. If pressure from within isn't enough to ensure the success of the code then we need so see pressure from the Government as well."