Farming Minister Jim Paice will be amongst the speakers addressing a conference organised by the NFU and First Milk in Cumbria on Tuesday 21st August.

Earlier last month, Mr Paice was given a frosty reception at the Westminster Dairy Summit, organised by a coalition of farming organisations ahead of the milk protests which swept the country as the month progressed. Then, the farming minister shied away from calls to support struggling dairy farmers, stating “government ministers can’t fix prices and I don’t believe we should.”

Although he expressed support for a voluntary code of practice in the sector, he opposed calls for changes in regulation, advised farmers to chase lucrative, if potentially unsustainable, export contracts instead of fighting for more equitable pay, and asked those assembled, “Are you sure you have done everything to reduce your costs?”

The August conference will take place at Dolphenby Farm, Edenhall, Penrith. Other dairy market experts and farming representatives from the NFU will also speak at the conference, as will First Milk chief executive Kate Allum. The organisers said their aim in staging the conference is to provide farmers with the tools and knowledge necessary to make successful choices about the future of their businesses.

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