UK Dairy Farmers Address Fair Dealing and Representation at NFU Summit

The National Farmers Union (NFU) recently held its second Farmer Representation Summit, bringing together representatives from 18 milk pools nationwide. The summit focused on fair dealings and enhancing the influence of farmers in the dairy supply chain.

The event followed the 2023 summit, which occurred before the implementation of the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations (FDOM24). This year's discussions provided an opportunity to review the effectiveness of these regulations in improving trust and transparency between dairy processors and suppliers amidst a market downturn.

Paul Tompkins, NFU Dairy Board Chair, emphasized the NFU's commitment to professionalizing farmer representation, noting that closer collaboration between farmers and milk buyers leads to greater resilience and better fulfillment of customer demands.

Richard Thompson, the newly appointed Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), attended the summit to engage directly with producers. Concerns were raised about the fear of retaliation among producers when addressing issues with buyers. The ASCA has received numerous complaints about processor behavior, which producers can now report confidentially.

The Association of Dairy Producer Organisations (ADPO), chaired by Rory Christie, presented ongoing efforts to train and professionalize farmer representation. Three of the four dairy producer organizations have been established since the FDOM implementation, encouraging producers to form formal representation structures.

The summit underscored the importance of collaboration among producers, processors, and policymakers to secure a fair and sustainable future for the UK's dairy sector. The current regulations are scheduled for review by 2029, and the NFU plans to work with the ASCA to identify non-compliant behaviors that may necessitate stronger legislation in the future.