Milk retailers unhappy about plans to cream off biggest customers
Friday 28th October 2011, 2:29PM BST.
MILK retailers are unhappy about plans for the Dairy.
The Guernsey Milk Retailers Association called a meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss the proposals before the States, which could see them losing their most lucrative customers – supermarkets – from January 2015.
GMRA representative Matt Waterman said the Dairy report did not give States members enough information about the industry.
‘It lacks a cogent plan intended to take the industry forward, but rather relies on a convoluted series of individual propositions which may or may not produce a result of some kind,’ he said.
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Methinks the island has to face reality….it would be so much cheaper for the consumer and tax payer if the milk were imported…to maintain an agricultural industry just for history’s sake must be costing a fortune? these days, no one really care where the milk comes from as long as its affordable. The dairy premises should be providing an income not costing money. The “milkman” can still deliver the product by arrangement with a wholesaler..(one of the supermarkets)….food for thought…!!..
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temp expat
with ideas like yours please become a perm expat
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Somebody sensible needs to take over the running of the Dairy before the present bunch of clowns completely demolish it. For years they have been allowed a monopoly but still manage to make a hash of things. They start off with a world class product and export virtually zero. I think I’m right in saying their only export is some butter recently sold via Waitrose. I would be happy to pay over the top for my milk if it put the Dairy in a sound financial position but that never happens because the people in charge don’t have a clue. Competant management should be able to make this business profitable, not limping along from year to year on monopolies and subsidies.
What happened to the yoghurt? They couldn’t sell it because the packaging was terrible. How is the ‘moo to you’ ice cream going? You know, the stuff I’ve never tried because it costs more than Hagen Daaz? And again the packaging is cheap and nasty. Why is their marketing so pathetic? Why can’t they make products people want to buy such as spreadable butter, cheese spread, dried milk? We are importing these products from all over the World when we should be exporting them. Maybe the States should approach Waitrose to see if they would like to buy the whole Dairy?
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No wonder the milk retailers are panicking about loosing their right to supply shops. They’ve been making easy money for years on this in comparison with the doorstep deliveries. I think the dairy should deliver directly to the shops which would save money at the same time increase the amount delivery men are paid (by a small amount) for each household delivery.
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I just took a look at the Guernsey Dairy website to make sure my earlier post was being fair to them. Now I’ve seen all the facts I’m angrier than ever! They boast a turnover ‘in excess of £6M’. £6M divided between the island’s population is not even £2 per person per week! Can you believe that? It just shows how much imported dairy produce we buy. And 83% of their turnover comes from the milk we are currently forced to buy at inflated prices. Which probably means that everything other than milk is sold at a loss. Given a choice, I might be prepared to pay double for Guernsey milk but how many others would? Make no mistake, if the monopoly is not upheld that will be goodbye to the Dairy and goodbye to the island’s herds. I don’t want to see that happen but it is only a matter of time before the monopoly is done away with. It is madness for the Dairy to keep relying on it rather than become a proper commercial venture.
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ParentA
Beanjar
I don’t know much about these things but it sounds like Guernsey dairy needs someone like you on their team!
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Do we really think imported milk will be any cheaper ?
At the end of the day it will probably end up costing more. The supermarkets will just say it is the extra cost of fuel/transport etc. it will just be used to bolster profits for them.
All hail the 21 century god “profit” after profit has become the new religion.
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Whether or not the retailers would sell imported milk cheaper than Guernsey milk is not really the point. If they are allowed to BUY it cheaper elsewhere, which they definitely could, they would make more profit than from selling Guernsey milk. If/when that happens goodbye dairy, goodbye cows. The Dairy is living on borrowed time but is too incompetant to get its house in order.
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Burdock
There are a few ‘markets’ that have been created by the States over the years; milk retailing, taxi licence plates and, to a degree even car number plates
All of them unofficial with each licence being traded on the open market.
In my view it would be unreasonable for a government to change this over night without recognising that those markets have existed with their quasi-backing.
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justme
for your info the supermarkets make very little in selling milk as demonstrated on t.v. the other night, they are not the bad boys here.
I would like to see a strong local dairy selling Guernsey milk and dairy products. I DO NOT WISH TO SEE MILK IMPORTED. BEANJAR IS RIGHT KISS GOODBYE TO THE DAIRY AND YOU KISS GOODBYE TO FARMING.
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I only wish I had as much time as Parent A .
Perhaps when the next round of elections come around we will find out who Parent A is, as when his/her current employer finds out the amount of time spent posting on this forum, they will be looking for a new job.
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