A recent visit to Bilbao saw traffic in the city disrupted by hundreds of tractors circling the streets of the city and congregating to hear farming leaders protest about the price they get for their milk; emphasis was added by the presence of milk t
ankers and several dairy cows in the throng around the platform.
A variety of banners and placards called for an increase in the price paid to farmers and called for the Spanish government to adopt a range of fairer agrarian policies. Basque farmers distrust the government with much more distaste than many in Scotland regard our politicians in Westminster.
The shelves of a nearby supermercado showed that they had a powerful case, with 1.5 litres of aqua priced at 0.60 euros, while the same volume of milk cost a derisory 0.22 euros.
A service station on the M6 on the journey home showed a litre of milk priced at 89p, while a litre of water would have set you back £1.99.
Locally the differential is not quite so great, with milk and water priced at 81p and £1.04 per litre respectively, though there are reductions for bulk buying with the latter.
Many believe that the bottled water industry is the biggest con perpetrated on Scotland with its ample supplies of fresh and pure water.Perhaps the bottle-clutching brigade have more of a case in the London area, where it is claimed that the water has passed through seven sets of kidneys before reaching the drinker.
Dairy farmers on Bute currently receive 23.4p per litre for their milk from First Milk, the owners of Rothesay Creamery. This price shows a decrease of 4.5p per litre, imposed over four stages, since 1st January this year. Meanwhile Isle of Bute cheese is selling over the counter at £10 - £11 per kilo, or some £11,000 per ton.
Promar, the organisation which specialises in costing for farmers, estimates that it costs 26p to produce a litre of milk, rising to 28p when allowance is made for investment and development costs.
The discrepancy between costs and returns casts doubts on the long-term viability of the dairy industry. There are now only 14 milk producers on Bute, with 12 having left the dairy sector in the last five years.
This in turn raises questions about the ability of Rothesay Creamery, where, it is understood, throughput is down some 20 per cent in the last year, to continue to source sufficient supplies of its raw material.
Perhaps we can look former to TV showing clips of farmers in Scotland taking direct action in the manner of their counterparts in the Basque country.
