Dear Jon, Thank you for taking the time to write. You are certainly not the first farming family to have contacted me on this issue, and I would like to assure you I have worked hard to support the local dairy industry since taking office in 2010. I have repeatedly lobbied ministers and supermarkets to try to secure a fair price for dairy farmers in particular, and even organised a NFU dairy conference in my constituency, attended by former agriculture minister Jim Paice, to discuss the importance and value of the industry to Cumbria. Should you be interested, you can find further details about some of my efforts on my website at: rorystewart.co.uk/category/tb-and-dairy/ . I met with George Eustice the farming minister this week in the House of Commons to raise the issue of Milk Prices again. I am currently fighting the decision by Caledonian Creamery to impose higher costs for English dairy farmers, and I have questioned the legality of their move with specialists in the parliamentary library. My office have arranged a call with the chair of the Milk Producer Group, Rory Christy, to see what further support I can offer to support farmers threatened by a cut in milk prices. I also speak regularly to many farmers, directly, in dairy meetings, and through an agri-business group to ensure I am as well-informed as possible of the problems and challenges the farming industry is facing. I know how tight profit margins are, and you have a right to feel angry at the incessant drive to lower milk prices. I campaigned strongly for the setup of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, designed to tackle the excessive influence supermarkets were able to wield when dealing with direct suppliers, and I am keen to see this go even further. I have also negotiated directly with Booths for Cumbrian milk. Where I disagree with you is the idea that publicity in the media is the same as giving practical help to farmers. The key is to focus on how to help - whether through contracts, supermarkets, producers, government assistance. I would welcome any further concrete ideas from you or from anyone to support dairy farmers. If you would ever like to speak to me further about your concerns in person, please feel free to come along to one of my surgeries, details of which can be found here - rorystewart.co.uk/surgeries/ Best wishes, Rory
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 23:58:24 +0000
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