Office of Fair Trading comments on liquid milk imports
UK - Dairy farmers worried about future liquid milk imports from the Continent should not expect any sympathy from the Office of Fair Trading.The shock comments came from OFT chief executive John Fingleton during a question and answer session following his speech to delegates at this week’s Dairy UK conference, held the day before the RABDF Dairy Event at Stoneleigh.
Mr Fingleton stunned many in the audience when he said that, by law, security of supply was not an issue that his organisation could take into account when regulating activities in the grocery sector.
Despite the sighting of a Dutch milk tanker in the south west recently, he said evidence received by the OFT suggested that milk supply would tend to stay within (national) borders or even locally. “If the government wants to protect dairy farming they will have to do it another way.”
Source: Farmers Weekly Online