Pledge your support for regional dairy and put your milk where your moustache is
The team from South West regional insurers Cornish Mutual are the latest people to pledge their support to a regional dairy campaign spearheaded by Stephens Scown LLP.
The regional firm of solicitors is asking the public to show their support to the dairy industry by signing a pledge online at www.supportswdairyfarmers.co.uk. To help raise awareness of the campaign, Stephens Scown has also launched a dedicated online gallery on the website to showcase milk moustache selfies.
In March, a survey, commissioned by Stephens Scown, found that seven out of 10 people would be prepared to actively support a ‘buy local’ dairy campaign. The report also found that 85% of people are willing to pay more for local dairy products if it helps secure the long-term future of milk production in the region.
The survey, which polled more than 1,000 people across Cornwall and Devon, also found that whilst 87% said they prefer to buy local dairy products, only 11% currently do so regularly.
Phil Reed, partner and head of the rural services team at Stephens Scown said: “We’re encouraging as many people as possible across Cornwall and Devon to pledge their support for local dairy farmers via our new campaign. We want to help raise awareness of the industry and help safeguard the industry and encourage people to make a more conscious decision to buy Westcountry cheese, milk and yoghurt when they shop.
“Our rural team works with many dairies and dairy farmers across the region and they need our support. If we don’t take action, falling milk prices could mark an end to the fresh, safely produced dairy products we often take for granted. Pledging is simple via the website and why not have fun at the same time and take a milk moustache selfie – grab a glass of delicious local milk, take a sip, take a snap and then send us the photo.”
Phil added: “We’re delighted that the team from Cornish Mutual have shown their support by signing the online pledge and donning their own milk moustaches. The campaign continues to build momentum and we want to do what we can to ensure this number keeps rising to help boost the industry.”
Alan Goddard, managing director of Cornish Mutual, said: “As a mutual organisation which was originally set up by Cornish farmers more than a hundred years ago and which continues to be at the forefront in supporting rural communities, we are delighted to support this campaign. We encourage everyone to join us in pledging their support for our dairy farmers. It is important that we continue to promote the buy local message and show that we are prepared to pay a fair price for what we believe is the finest produce in the country.”
Megan Vokes is the daughter of a dairy farmer and a member services advisor at Cornish Mutual. Megan said: “Dairy farming is not just a job, it is a way of life. Growing up on a dairy farm has been a brilliant way to spend my childhood, but this way of life is now being threatened. I have never known anyone work harder than a dairy farmer, with their business running 24/7, 365 days a year, getting up at 3am in the morning to milk and staying up into the middle of the night to check calving cows. In what other job would you work so hard, with such hours and loose money month after month, not even getting the cost of production? Dairy farmers cannot continue like this, the way things are going this whole way of life is going to be lost for a lot of families who have worked hard for what they have.”
Show your support of the dairy industry by signing the simple pledge at www.supportswdairyfarmers.co.uk and put your milk where your moustache is and send your own milk moustache selfies to marketing@stephens-scown.co.uk for the online gallery. Everyone who signs up to pledge support through the website will have a chance to win a regional dairy hamper prize filled with regional dairy goodies.
When making a pledge, people can also donate to The Addington Fund, which provides homes and offers emergency grants for farming families living in England and Wales. The charity continues to support people who have had to leave the industry and often face a time of hardship and the prospect of losing their homes. To make a donation, text AFTD01 followed by the £ symbol and the amount you would like to donate to 70070; for example AFTD01 £5.
For more information about Stephen Scown, visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk, to find out about Cornish Mutual visit www.cornishmutual.co.uk and for more information about The Addington Fund, visit www.addingtonfund.org.uk.
