Rows over milk prices continue in Britain, and frustrated farmers have resumed blockades in response to low returns for their product.

On 11th November, protesting farmers returned to the Muller Wiseman plant in Shropshire, the scene of the first blockade of the current campaign, which was called in early October after major milk processors inflicted repeated price cuts on their farmer suppliers. Farmers also blockaded the processor's Bridgewater plant in Somerset.

Though smaller than the first protest, the second action at the Market Drayton dairy saw determined protestors from Shropshire, Cheshire, north Wales and further afield turn away lorries from the plant late into the night.  

Farmers said they were angry at price cuts and the processing giant's acquisition of Dairy Crest earlier this month. The takeover, which is still subject to approval from the competition authorities, comes after Muller acquired Robert Wiseman Dairies.

Processors maintain that their hand is being forced by a weakening global dairy market. The UN Food Price Index released earlier this month showed that dairy prices fell 3.5 percent between September and October. This eighth consecutive monthly decline led dairy prices to move 26.5 percent below their October 2013 values.

Late in October, David Handley, chair of Farmers For Action, said that, though First Milk, Arla Direct and Wyke Cheese announced further cuts, price freezes announced by Arla and Dairy Crest "Clearly vindicate our farmer/producer protests." Handley continued, "I am positive that without these [protests] there would have been no price freeze… FFA have said from day one that these milk price cuts that have been so severe [because] processors have the power to cut their price whenever it suits."

The NFU has not backed this year's return to direct action protests, which the union claims are counter-productive. Even so, the FFA Chair appealed for support for ongoing protests on Tuesday, saying, "For these protests to continue and above all to be successful, we really do need more farmer support."

The EFRA Select Committee has called a meeting for 25^th November to look into the situation in the dairy industry.

On Wednesday, Farmers For Action announced that two protests would be conducted on Thursday night in Somerset and Cheshire.