No Butter.

[Kevin Milkins]

It’s no good locking the stable door after the cow has bolted, (or was it a horse)?

Lidl has had no butter in stock for a good while now and when they do it’s gone in a shot.
Grahams the family run dairy producer has been supplying their Aberdoyle brand of products to Lidl for a good while now, and good stuff it is too, but demand has been outstripping supply.

It’s a shame that the UK supermarkets didn’t show a bit more support to its UK producers sooner before many had to throw the towel in because dairy farming became unviable.

[golach]

Kevin, I have had to resort in going to Asda down here in Leith, to get my Grahams spreadable, all sold out in Lidi's demand is great for Graham's I know I have a better selection of suppliers than you do, feel for you

[gerry4]

Its not just Lidl's who are having problems it Tesco's too.

[Kevin Milkins]

I have just been reading a story about Shropshire dairy farmers are exporting milk to Qatar and getting up to £5.00 for 2 litres.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjV-Ird5MjWAhVUF8AKHRUDAC8QFggmMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fav%2Fuk-england-41433567%2Fenglish-cows-milk-is-being-exported-to-sanctions-hit-qatar&usg=AFQjCNE5kSsWyFR-PobTCs-tXxznV9C7kA

[iain]

Does not say farmers are getting £5 for 2 litres. That is the selling price once delivered not the buying price which might be 25p a litre.

[Kevin Milkins]

Does not say farmers are getting £5 for 2 litres. That is the selling price once delivered not the buying price which might be 25p a litre.

Correct Iain, but the retail price is much more realistic to the value of milk per cost of production and nutritional value, also farmers getting a more fair price for the work that goes in.

[poppett]

All butter brands have rocketed in price.

Grahams cheese was on special offer in Tesco in Thurso last week and it was flying off the shelves.

[Bill Fernie]

A good explanation of what has happened in the Financial Times 12 July 2017 -
https://www.ft.com/content/8550f05a-6649-11e7-8526-7b38dcaef614

There are quite a few articles over the last year pointing to rising prices and shortages of butter including lower production of milk due to weather in various countries, China back buying in bulk of dairy products and consumers switching back to butter away from vegetable fats after some scare stories. All in all it looks like rising prices and shortages may be here for some time yet.

What can you do? - Use less, stop eating butter, drink less milk, cut down on dairy products - often recommended for health reasons. Many web sites extol the virtues of cutting down on milk and dairy products.

However most of us were trained to like milk at school and it can be hard to change habits. Let's face it many people in other countries hardly ever drink milk or eat dairy products and they live well enough to old age.

Now where's by buttery roll..........and glass of milk........

[iain]

Lots of dairy boys have given up due to years of below production cost prices.

[Alrock]

...Let's face it many people in other countries hardly ever drink milk or eat dairy products and they live well enough to old age........

That's down to nothing more than genetics....


...Several thousand years later, a genetic mutation spread through Europe that gave people the ability to produce lactase — and drink milk — throughout their lives. That adaptation opened up a rich new source of nutrition that could have sustained communities when harvests failed.

http://www.nature.com/news/archaeology-the-milk-revolution-1.13471

http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.11661.1375182095!/image/lactase-hotspots2.jpg_gen/derivatives/fullsize/lactase-hotspots2.jpg

http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.11660.1375181975!/image/dairy-diaspora2.jpg_gen/derivatives/fullsize/dairy-diaspora2.jpg

(http://www.nature.com/news/archaeology-the-milk-revolution-1.13471)

[golach]

Kevin, Grahams products are back on sale in Lidil's in Leith today

[Kevin Milkins]

Kevin, Grahams products are back on sale in Lidil's in Leith today

They were in stock in Wick yesterday and I'm ashamed to admit that I did a bit of stock piling.

[alistair harper]

got some in thurso this morning

[Shaggy]

They were in stock in Wick yesterday and I'm ashamed to admit that I did a bit of stock piling.

I hope there's never a need to panic buy Kevin, you'll probably be the culprit that empties the shelves :-)

[Bill Fernie]

That's down to nothing more than genetics....

But it does not mean we 'have' to eat dairy even though we can process it.

I found an interesting article sting out the arguments for and against -

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/should-we-be-drinking-milk-arguments-for-and-against-dairy-10192238.html

Maybe the worst thing is too many calories when we have dairy in chocolate, biscuits and many other foods.

I should be on a diet and drink milk but cut the rest if its processed. Well maybe next year......

[Goodfellers]

I'm sat here just waiting........................................... ............. you must be itching to get back into this argument......or is broadband down in Reay :-)

[Kodiak]

There is a simple answer...........Just stop buying Butter..........I did this quite some time ago and I switched to Clover, it tastes good and it much better for your health as well. :D

[Bill Fernie]

the arguments seem to swing back and forth over which is healthier or not. There are many articles in recent years. Seems likely to be best to limit intake of it all if you are normally healthy individual and don't need extra fats or other thing in spreads. No doubt age, weight, sex and many other factors swing the arguments one way or another.
Last wee while I am on the eating butter side after a few years of the other spreads.

There are some people who do not use spreads at all and seem to be doing ok - their taste got used to it even if things are bit dry - sandwiches toast etc. Perhaps the totally no spreads people will turn out to be the healthiest but nothing in this area is totally one way or another.

Also how many other factors affect the outcome. For example I developed a taste for unsalted butter and have never since my teens added salt to my food getting plenty from the cooking and other foods where it was already added. Does that affect me more than butter? I am not worrying about it.

Does exercise affect it? Well that's another story.......................

[Goodfellers]

Here's a question I hope someone knows the answer to, regarding salt.

Most of our population (Caithness) are exposed to salt bearing wind which we must ingest some of, even if it is just dissolved in saliva and swallowed. Anyone know how much we would be likely to ingest over a lifetime?

When I was last in Durness, I looked around the graveyard and it seems people either died quite young or made it to a ripe old age, perhaps the salt air helped.

[Goodfellers]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-41527710

About time we encouraged more dairy farmers into the industry

[Kevin Milkins]

You cant just switch on to dairy farming, its something that has to be grown over many years and generations, both cows and the right people to look after them.

We had a very good dairy industry not long ago, but years of empty promises and poor prices for a premium product has forced farmers to give up or go bust.

[Bystander1]

A milkan coo and a churn is the way to go. Mind you not many people these days keep a coo for the job.