NFU Scotland met Müller over Skelmersdale milk prices
Bruce Mackie, chairman of NFU Scotland’s Milk Committee, said the organisation had raised the issue with Müller Milk & Ingredients chief executive Rob Hutchinson and agriculture director Richard Collins. The meeting covered market conditions, production volumes and the company’s plans for investment.
NFU Scotland also set out the circumstances facing producers on the Skelmersdale contract. The price paid for milk was about 28p per litre before transport, which the union said left farmers unable to meet the cost of producing it. A possible increase in September was described as welcome, but NFU Scotland said it should be the first step in a sustained improvement.
The union distinguished between ordinary fluctuations in farming and supplying milk over an extended period at a price materially below production costs. It said prolonged low returns had placed financially established and well-invested family farms under pressure and had required difficult decisions about their businesses.
According to NFU Scotland, some farmers were reducing expenditure where possible. The pressure was also associated with postponed investment decisions, increased concerns about health and safety, and growing strain on mental wellbeing. Questions were being raised about whether younger members of farming families could see a future in dairy production.
Müller outlined plans to continue investing at Skelmersdale, including additional capacity for processing powder and ingredients. The company also confirmed that meetings with producers were scheduled for October. NFU Scotland said that investment plans extending towards 2027 offered limited reassurance to farmers dealing with current financial conditions.
One young producer wrote to NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon and the Milk Committee: “We need things to change now, not in six months, not in five years, but now.” The union said it would continue discussions with Müller and work with affected farmers before the October meetings. The article was published on September 28th 2026.
