Milk men could be rolling their own
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by Amanda Bradbury • Co-operatives representing up to 136 dairy farmers who produce 170 million litres of milk could run their own haulage after milk deregulation.
Such a move has long been considered unlikely by the Milk Marketing Board and hauliers competing for transport worth £120m from farmers this year.
Transport ownership by milk producers is uneconomic, says the National Farmers Union, which admits it knows nothing about milk transport's costs.
But Devon-based Peninsula Milk Producers, which has a projected turnover of at least am, is looking at a number of vehicle hire and ownership options. These include the possible lease of a tanker from Northern Irish direct seller, Strathroy Milk Marketing.
Head of Peninsula John Flint says direct control of transport is crucial to rapid response marketing of product: "The producer which owns the wheels controls the milk." Flint says he would like to see Devon milk being sold as far away as Italy and Spain, rather than being limited to local markets by longterm transport contracts.
The West Wales Milk Producer Group, which represents 100 farmers, is also seriously considering vehicle ownership or hire because of potential cost savings.