DairyCo, the BBC, important questions, a potential solution and tribute to Ian Potter

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Belatedly, due to a week’s absence from esystem due to a hub with ‘corrupted settings’, we send Kathleen Calvert’s comments.

These were made in response to Ian Potter’s request that “Farmers must play their part in this process and let DairyCo know their thoughts or indeed email us”...She writes:

“Over the last few years I have had lots of contact with DairyCo and have bent the ear of many others who would appear to be barriers to our progress. I have also sought out those who may be able to offer any kind of support or opinion, however slight, and I have taken matters further through various avenues wherever time or wherewithal has allowed.

“While they have potential, DairyCo have been in need of the good kick up the a–e that Ian has given them and now they really do need to move forward by taking a good look at themselves, their responsibilities to levy payers and by providing more efficient and imaginative use of valuable resource for the common good to help get us all back on track.

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“Possibly a factor of dairy farmer inactivity is a fear of the consequences of being thrown out of the safety of their paymaster’s system, or lack of the relevant communication skills.

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“I also suspect many farmers take no action as they still hold out hope that the NFU or some other large and financially well endowed organisation will work for them, not realising that the NFU is part of the establishment that collectively keeps us all financially, bureaucratically or politically controlled.

“We will remain superglued to the treadmill if there is no change to accepted establishment practices where for example other than the early morning Radio 4 programme, Countryfile, the BBC’s adult version of Blue Peter, is all that the BBC offer. This depicts chocolate box images of the countryside in a programme devoted to creating popular celebrities more intent on the self promoting hype where purposely promoted celebrities and “having a go” boosts viewing figures and so is considered more important than also delivering the less popular yet vital good quality impartial reporting that informs consumers and the public in general.

 

Four important questions

 

• “When we have our own proportionately large population to feed, why must we be forced to consider sending our precious good quality food across the world to feed the wealthy who will not eat the food produced in their own country that their own poor are expected to eat?
• “Why are we importing so much dairy produce that could be produced in our own country,
• “why is there a shortage of milk, when the price does not go up to reflect our own market
• “and why does Dairyco fail to address/ tackle this market failure that is pivotal to their role on behalf of levy payers.

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A potential solution

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“As a potential solution worth consideration, farmers could be adequately rewarded by their processor for supplying better quality levels – set at across the board levels; all retailers or other suppliers of dairy produce would be voluntarily required to inform consumers of the quality of the milk and dairy produce at the point of sale and samples of milk would be tested at random, passing on concerns to the relevant authorities who would undertake further testing and monitoring at the point of sale and, if necessary, work to uncover the source of any weakness in the supply chain system and investigate potential manipulation or fraud.

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A tribute

 

“I can not tell you how much I appreciate completely the massive effort that independent Ian has put into tackling just one of a multitude of barriers that are put in front of we British Dairy Farmers. Looking at the quality of the report below, I would say Ian is truly the Miss Marple of the Dairy Industry —- Ha ha —- sorry Ian but that is a compliment. You are a star. Just mind you don’t catch your heels on the hem of your skirt!

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“Onward and Upward!”

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