A little help for dairy farmers from Morisons, but is it enough?

Morisons will now be selling a new milk brand which will see 10p per litre extra paid to farmers. This comes after farming leaders met with bosses from the store and other retails to discuss the deepening crisis affecting their industry. Falling milk prices and a reduction in the global demand for milk has already seen 256 herds go out of the dairy industry so far in 2015 – according to the NFU.

The Milk for Farmers brand means a four pint bottle (2.27 litres), which now sells for 89p, will cost an extra 23p. Dairy organisation AHDB Dairy said 10p would make "a considerable difference". The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said it would now be writing to other sellers, asking them to follow Morisons's lead.

The industry says a reduction in global demand for milk has led to an over-supply in the UK, creating difficult conditions for many dairy farmers. The NFU says the "huge crisis" had already driven 256 herds out of the industry so far in 2015.

It’s great that Morisons are stepping up and trying to help, but is creating a premium brand really the answer? Surely what farmers need is an increase in what they receive for all their milk, not just a special range which customers might ignore in favour of cheaper options? Why won’t the supermarkets even consider this?

As milk is an essential item and relatively cheap compared to other drinks, would consumers notice if all cartons of milk went up by 10p? Think what we pay for bottles of mineral water, of fruit juices, alcohol and squash, all more expensive than a pint of milk – and possibly cheaper to produce. We all want milk, but the retailers expect dairy farmers to work for nothing to produce it. It’s not fair and it’s time they received a fair price for their product.