Support for Local Dairy Farmers Can Have a Profound Effect
Charlotte Gurney, who runs White House Farm in Norwich, described visiting Nortons, a third-generation family dairy in Frettenham, during August. The farm keeps more than 100 cows and has recently installed a new milking system. Gurney said the visit took place during a summer affected by drought, with the available grass running out earlier than usual.
More than half of Nortons’ daily milk output is supplied to Arla, the large dairy co-operative owned by thousands of farmers across Northern Europe. About one-third of its farmer-owners are in the UK. Teresa, a dairy brand ambassador and member of the farm family, said milk prices had remained strong, while hot weather had reduced the volume produced by the cows and added pressure to the sector.
Nortons has also expanded beyond liquid milk. Its artisan cheese and yoghurt products continued to sell at markets and farm shops across the county. Gurney said her own farm shop buys Nortons’ milk for its coffee operation, paying the same price as it would to wholesalers. She said the milk is used by baristas for lattes and other coffee drinks.
Figures cited by Gurney from Farmers Weekly showed that the UK had lost more than 30% of its dairy enterprises in the ten years to June. The publication also reported that the number of so-called mega-dairies, where cows may remain indoors, had more than doubled since 2015. Gurney referred to intensive farming in Pembrokeshire despite the availability of extensive grassland there.
UK dairy farmers are generally paid according to the quantity of milk supplied rather than its quality, according to Gurney’s account. She also cited Andrew Griffith, the shadow chancellor, as saying that small businesses often lack access to specialist human-resources support and costly tax and legal advice. He described small firms as the “bedrock” of the economy and said they employ thousands of people across the country.
Gurney said that between 50p and 70p of every pound spent with a local independent business returns to the local economy. She contrasted this with supermarkets, which she said return as little as 5p of the same pound to surrounding communities. Her account presented purchases of Nortons’ milk as part of a local supply chain linking consumers, a family farm and businesses in the county.
