A DEMAND by the Conservative Party for urgent practical action to help dairy farmers has been welcomed by their West Devon spokesman, Geoffrey Cox. The call came following a report from the Milk Development Council showing that farmgate prices were continuing to drop in proportion to prices charged in supermarkets. Mr Cox said: ?The average dairy farmer in the south west earns just £2.90 an hour for a 70-hour week. ?Last week in parliament, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture, James Gray, demanded urgent action from the Government to encourage fairer distribution of the price of milk by supporting and encouraging farmers? cooperatives and toughening up the supermarket code of practice. ?If we don?t see some real action soon, the dairy industry, long synonymous with Devon will continue to dwindle.?
