UK Dairy Farmers Take The “Milk Trolley Challenge” To Protest Low Prices

Low milk prices are a huge problem for dairy farmers all over the globe. Good weather here in the States caused an excess supply of milk, which in turn dropped the price of milk, much to the chagrin of small dairy farmers. In the UK, the hegemony of just a few nationwide supermarket chains puts the farmers in an even worse position, and this week, UK newspapers reported that the farmers have struck back.

Dairy farmers, like most other farmers, work on contracts, agreeing before each season or year to supply product at certain prices. That means they can’t just go on strike; they’d lose contracts for the future, severely harming their ability to get back on their feet. But that doesn’t mean their fears aren’t real; some farmers interviewed by the BBC are actually supplying milk at a loss, working 16 hours a day only to lose money.

Some protesters underwent the “Milk Trolley Challenge,” in which some farmers cleared supermarkets of all milk as a way to bring attention to their plight. At one supermarket, the farmers bought and then gave away all the milk; at another, they simply cleared the milk into trolleys (shopping carts, in American English) and left them around the store.

This is an ongoing issue in the UK; a few months ago, an association of farmers called Milk Must Have A Future created a video (above) in which the farmers sing their plight that’s garnered tens of thousands of views. The major supermarkets, including Tesco and Morrisons, have issued statements, though those statements aren’t tremendously encouraging to the farmers. “As a leading British retailer, Morrisons is focused on delivering great value and we try to pass on lower prices to our customers wherever possible,” one spokesperson said to the Mirror, meaning the supermarket is not likely to artificially inflate prices anytime soon.

“The future is not good. I’ve got a son, but I don’t encourage him to come home to the farm. The costs involved in setting up a dairy business now are phenomenal and the returns are just not there,” said Gavin Morton, a dairy farmer, to the BBC.

You can learn more about the problems of low milk prices at the organization’s Facebook page.