Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Nicholas Winterton (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 17 November 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Milk Imports

Question: The Minister is a very reasonable man. Does he not think it strange that in a country which has absolutely the right environment for milk production, where the grassland is the best in the world for milk production, dairy farmers, including those in my constituency, are going out of business because they cannot compete, not least because of the activities of the superstores to which my hon. Friend the Member for Louth and Horncastle (Sir Peter Tapsell) referred? Is it not possible for the Government to do more to assist the dairy farmer, because at the end of the day only productive farming can maintain the countryside?

Answer: The hon. Gentleman is also a reasonable man, and I thank him for his question. A lot of the symptoms that he described in dairy farmers' operations are the reasons why there is a good long-term future for farming, because all the circumstances are right. Many people talk about the problems of supermarkets, which is why my noble Friend Lord Bach and I will next month meet Ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry to discuss the operation of the market, and particularly the role of the supermarkets.

Secondary information