Going sour

For, while the major stores will contend that they are acting fairly, this does not correlate with the experience of farmers who appear, once again, to be paying the price because of the desire of the major

stores, in the fiercely competitive retail industry, to keep their prices to a minimum, and even cut them as part of wider "loss-leading" promotional strategies.

This is, of course, beneficial to consumers – but it will not be if the only milk on the shelves in future years has to be imported because the last dairy farms have been forced out of business due to the heavy-handed approach adopted by the major retail firms.

This is also why a dairy ombudsman needs to be appointed. While such roles do not always sit comfortably in a free market, the very future of the dairy industry is, potentially, at stake – and an adjudicator would have the power to ensure that the interests of consumers, supermarkets and farmers are fairly represented at all times.

The crusade undertaken by the National Farmers' Union three years ago was certainly effective in raising the profile of the dairy industry. It is just a shame that this exercise needs to be repeated, and at a time when the public's desire for high-quality local produce has never been greater.