MILK PRICE INCREASE FOR MÜLLER WISEMAN MILK GROUP MEMBERS

Dairy farmer members of the Müller Wiseman Milk Group (MWMG) who receive the company’s Standard milk price are to see it increase to 32.50 pence per litre (ppl) from October 21, 2013.

The company has already confirmed that dairy farmers who opted to sell their milk through the alternative Müller Wiseman Formula contract, which is linked to more volatile global commodity market returns, will receive 34.55ppl from October through to December.

And Müller Wiseman Dairies has also confirmed that the majority of dairy farmer suppliers on the Standard or Formula price option are on track to receive an additional lump sum incentive worth up to 1.0ppl triggered by increased production, at the end of this milk year. 

In a year where national production is cumulatively still below last year’s levels these are all  endorsements of MWMG farmers and the company working together to mutual benefit.

Martin Armstrong, Supply Chain Planning Director for Müller Wiseman Dairies said:

“This increased price reflects continuing pressure on UK milk supplies against a backdrop of strengthening global dairy commodities. As we enter the autumn and winter months it is important to act in order to ensure that we can secure the milk required to meet our customers’ requirements.

 “We are committed to offering a competitive proposition and a choice of contracts to dairy farmers and to pursuing a business strategy which is designed to create new opportunities to add value to milk produced by British farmers.

“We are offering a clean milk price, volume bonuses and an attractive production incentive, none of which are then eroded by charges for co-operative membership, balancing, haulage or capital levies.  

 “The MWMG Board has worked tirelessly in the latest discussions and it is their reasoned and informed arguments, not illegal blockades organised by people who do not supply us, which have been pivotal in the agreement of this latest increase”

Roddy Catto, Chairman of the Müller Wiseman Milk Group which represents dairy farmers said:

“The Müller Wiseman Milk Group board continues to work hard in the interests of dairy farmers who supply the company to ensure that the standard non-aligned milk price and incentives offered are amongst the best available in the UK.

“Whilst protests organised by the Dairy Coalition were more understandable in 2012, blockades in Shropshire in the past week were counterproductive. We stressed to FFA organisers that we were at an advanced stage in our discussions with the company and made it clear that threatening serious disruption was against our advice, and more importantly, potentially damaging to our farmers interests.

“This was ignored and as a result, progress was halted and valuable time was wasted because the company’s focus was taken away from discussions and onto issues like farm collections and deliveries to customers. It makes no sense whatsoever to undermine the work of the MWMG farmer board in this way.”

Ends…      17 September, 2013

Notes to Editors

Müller UK & Ireland Group

The Müller UK & Ireland Group is wholly owned by Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller. It has  sites nationwide and employs around 6,000 people across four businesses, Müller Dairy, Müller Wiseman Dairies, Müller Minsterley and TM Telford Dairy. 

Müller Dairy is based in Market Drayton and is the UK’s leading yogurt manufacturer, with major brands such as Müller Corner, Mullerlight and Müller Rice. Müller Wiseman Dairies processes and delivers almost a third of the fresh milk consumed in Britain every day and is famous for its black & white cow-print branding.

Müller Minsterley near Shrewsbury manufactures Cadbury chilled desserts, including Cadbury Mousse, Trifle and twin-pot products, which Müller sells under licence from Cadbury. The most recent addition to the group is TM Telford Dairy, a state of the art yogurt production facility in Telford, Shropshire which will allow Müller to develop its presence in the UK private label yogurt market.

Müller Wiseman Milk Group

Farmer members of the Müller Wiseman Milk Group (MWMG) have an elected board of dairy farmers in place to represent their interests.

The MWMG comprises 1094 producers, of which 381 currently receive the Müller Wiseman Standard Price and/or the Müller Wiseman Formula Price. The remainder are in groups aligned to major supermarket customers which have their own pricing arrangements.

Current MWMG members can benefit from the Müller Wiseman Milk Group Expansion Incentive and new suppliers can benefit from the Müller Wiseman Recruitment Incentive regardless of which contract option they choose.

The MWMG standard litre price is a ‘clean’ milk price with no member retentions, capital levies, balancing or haulage charges. Dairy farmers who supply the Müller UK & Ireland Group now and in the future will be covered by all relevant aspects of the Voluntary Code of Practice.