Here we go once more with dairy farmers being screwed over by processors and retailers.
Without consumer support and a radical change to the way the supply chain operates, it is inevitable that the number of dairy farmers in Scotland will continue to fall.
Black and white cows are becoming a rare sight in the Scottish countryside.
My family ran the last dairy farm in the Western Isles until October 2012 when rising input costs and a dwindling customer base forced us to stop.
We processed all the milk produced on farm, but were unable to compete with supermarkets on price.
I still remember my father saying milking cows at a loss made no more sense than burning a pile of fivers.
Struggling dairy farmers must not be afraid to stop and ask – should I carry on with this?
Yes it is difficult to change what has been your way of life and wave goodbye to the black and whites, but carrying on producing at a loss is surely not a good thing.
As an industry we must rally together and support those struggling, whether they be milk producers or the tattie boys who are being paid as low as £40 a tonne for their produce if they’re lucky enough to find a home for it.
We have produced a poster on pages 8-9 in support of struggling dairy farmers in today’s Press and Journal newspaper.
I would urge you to put this up in your tractor, pickup or farmhouse window. Why not take one to your local shop?
Write to your MPs, MSPs and local councillors urging them to better support farmers.
Food security should be a top priority for government, and allowing producers to be continually be paid less than the cost of production for food is unacceptable.
I’m preaching to the converted here, I know.
But unless we get together as an industry and stand up to say ‘no more’, we will continue to be the price-takers in an increasingly competitive market.