August 12: Standing up for dairy farmers, Morrisons makes it move

TIME will tell whether the new premium milk due to be launched by Yorkshire-based supermarket Morrisons will be sufficient to help those dairy farmers who find themselves on the brink of going out of business because of a range of factors – both domestic and global – which have conspired to see the industry operating at a loss.

Called Morrisons Milk for Farmers, it will be 10p a litre more expensive than the milk currently sold by the food giant and the premium will go directly back to the farmers which supply the supermarket’s processor Arla. And therein lies the rub – will customers pay the inflated price and how will they differentiate between the new product and existing cartons of ‘British’ milk which already display the Union Flag on the label?

Yet, while the move has been cautiously welcomed by the Farmers For Action campaign group which is looking to hold the supermarkets to account with a number of high-profile publicity stunts, it is another reminder – if one was needed – about the need for far greater transparency on labelling.

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This was highlighted six months ago by Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss when she told The Yorkshire Post in a pre-election interview: “What I don’t want to do is lose capacity in the dairy industry.”

Educated in Leeds, the Minister also promised clearer ‘country-of-origin’ labels on dairy products so that shoppers know that they are supporting British dairy farmers when they pick processed products such as cheese and yoghurts from supermarket shelves.

Despite these promises, progress remains slow. This is regrettable. For, while it is difficult for the Government to influence Russia’s import ban or China’s over-production of milk, this is one sphere of policy where Ministers can still make a tangible difference if they are so minded. It is now up to them to demonstrate that they, too, are on the side of those dairy farmers whose livelihoods are on the line.

Slavery struggle: Upholding Wilberforce’s legacy

WHILE the political emphasis is still on Calais, and the continuing need for robust measures to prevent illegal immigrants from entering Britain, it is imperative that the police, and other agencies, can devote sufficient time to identifying and apprehending those rogue employers who are making money on the backs of slave labour.

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There is no place in a civilised society for such employment abuses and West Yorkshire Police should be commended for the positive steps that it is taking after the force area was identified as a “destination of choice” for forced labour because of factors like an above-average number of low-skilled manual jobs.

Given that this county remains rightly proud of its association with William Wilberforce who is arguably the greatest ever Yorkshireman because of his work as an anti-slavery campaigner more than two centuries ago, it would be a total betrayal of his crusading legacy if the authorities turned a blind eye to the plight of human trafficking victims because of a toxic combination of financial pressures and political indifference.

No one deserves to work in Dickensian-like primitive conditions that belong 
to a bygone age and which are, thankfully, illegal thanks to the advent of health and safety legislation governing workplaces.

Yet the police cannot win this battle of their own. They need the co-operation of the agencies. And they need suspicious activity to be reported by members of the public. For, without this intelligence, victims of slave labour will continue to suffer in silence.

No half measures: Time to raise a glass to the local pub

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WHAT has become of the “green and pleasant land” immortalised by William Blake? The once omnipresent red telephone boxes, a symbol of England, are now museum pieces, the early morning milk delivery is a fading memory and now a growing number of real ale enthusiasts are drinking out of half pint glasses according to campaign group Camra ahead of the Great British Beer Festival.

Yet, while this revelation will prompt those of a ‘glass half empty’ disposition to weep into their warm beer, there is much to celebrate about the revival of those distinctively-flavoured local ales being produced by a new generation of Yorkshire micro-breweries.

This is providing a welcome tonic to those traditional pubs fighting for their very existence because of a preponderance of people who prefer to drink at home. If smaller glasses help people to drink responsibly while also supporting local hostelries, the future of such establishments is more likely to come under the ‘glass half full’ category.