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Farming Today: 28/08/2012

28/08/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 28/08/2012

Charlotte Smith investigates the history of farming cooperatives in the Netherlands.

Charlotte Smith visits cooperative farmers in the Netherlands to investigate whether UK dairy farmers could get more control of their milk price by working together.

Following recent protests by UK dairy farmers over the price they are paid for milk, the UK Government is encouraging farmers to join together to form cooperatives and producer groups. The systems are used widely across Europe. In this special programme, Charlotte Smith visits the Netherlands where over 85% of dairy farmers are in co-operatives compared to around 30% in the UK.

She talks to the Chairman of Friesland Campina, Piet Boer, on his dairy farm to find out how the system enables it to pay their 14,000 farmers more than European average. Since it was set up, it has become multi-national with a global turnover of 10 billion euros a year. She asks if British farmers could see similar success if more of them worked together. 

This programme is presented by Charlotte Smith and recorded on location the Netherlands by Anne-Marie Bullock.

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