DON'T BLAME FARMERS FOR SPIRALLING FOOD PRICES, SAYS FUW

Shoppers facing spiralling food prices were urged in an eve of the Royal Welsh Show plea by Farmers' Union of Wales leaders not to heap the blame on farmers.

"Latest figures from DairyCo Datum reveal the price paid to farmers for milk actually fell between March and April to an average of 24.91p per litre yet the supermarkets are charging well over three times as much," said FUW vice president Eifion Huws.

During this week's show a life-size model of a dairy cow Tegwen - Welsh for "fair" and "white" - painted in the colours of the Welsh flag will highlight the European Milk Board's (EMB) campaign to achieve a fair farmgate price for milk.

"According to a price comparison website, the three main supermarkets - Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's - have increased the cost of a basket of 24 staple products by 21 per cent compared to this time last year," said Mr Huws, an Anglesey dairy farmer.

"A family with two or three children, who typically spent £100 a week on groceries a year ago, has seen its annual food bill rise from £5,200 to £6,292. And it's the basket's most basic items such as milk, bread, rice, pasta and eggs that are increasing in price the fastest.

"But at the same time farmers are forced to pay more for fuel, fertiliser and animal feed," added Mr Huws, who was recently re-elected chairman of the union's milk and dairy produce committee.

"For example, fertiliser prices continued to rise between May and June by £6 per tonne to £335 and feed prices averaged £310/tonne in June - some £43 (16.1%) more than in May and £59/tonne (23.5%) more than in June last year.

"And we all know what has happened to fuel prices. The Chancellor's decision earlier this week to postpone the 2p fuel duty increase once again is a tiny and long overdue gesture.

"Meanwhile, the big supermarkets report higher and higher profit margins so I urge shoppers not to blame farmers for price increase - they should point their fingers elsewhere.

FUW president Gareth Vaughan called on farmers signing up to agreements to supply supermarkets with farm produce to check the small print carefully.

"I understand some of these agreements give permission for supermarkets to inspect farm accounts and access commercially sensitive information. Farmers should make doubly sure they know exactly what they are signing up to before going ahead."

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