Cows Head Into Asda Supermarket For Dairy Farmers’ Protest [Video]
Sunday lunchtime saw a pair of milk cows strolling the aisles of an Asda supermarket in Stafford, England. They were escorted by around 70 protesters from the local farming community, with dairy farmers complaining about the unjust milk prices charged by the supermarket chain.
According to the dairy farmers, they are being paid far too little for their product and could soon have to shut down their farms due to lack of available funds.
WATCH: Dairy cows herded through Asda in #milkprices protest http://t.co/R0eSgD2xin #teamdairy (Pic: F Stop Press) pic.twitter.com/BT8eEsymZo
— Farmers Weekly (@FarmersWeekly) August 10, 2015
In the video released by RT above, aptly titled “Moo-ve along please…,” we watch as stunned and amused staff members and shoppers stop and stare as the two cows are led past them down the aisles. They were probably waiting for the announcement “clean up in aisle three” should the Freisians decide to leave a gift while they strolled by.
When the group of milk farmers reach the dairy produce section, they explain to the surrounding shoppers that the milk is being sold far too cheaply.
“The reason why we do this is that the milk is far too cheap. It’s 89p [$1.39] for 4 pints.”
“If the milk stops that cheap, in six months time there will be no fresh milk in this country. We are packing up. We cannot afford to sell milk at this price.”
“They sell the milk far too cheaply. Tescos aren’t, Co-Op aren’t, Waitrose aren’t. Those places are paying a reasonable amount for the milk.”
“This milk should not be cheaper than a bottle of water and that’s the point we are hoping to make today.”
The milk farmers then loaded supermarket trolleys to the hilt with the cheap milk to attract the attention of the customers in what they are calling “milk trolley challenges.”
The Guardian quotes the dairy farmers as saying that the current price paid is unsustainable. They demand to be paid a minimum of 30p ($0.47) per liter for their product to be able to carry on their dairy farms.
According to the British dairy organization AHDB Dairy, in June this year dairy farmers were paid an average of 23.66p ($0.37) per liter, which is not enough.
In the video, the Staffordshire Police can be seen approaching the protesters, and the dairy farmers were concerned that the animals would be upset.
A spokesman later said, “Officers were in attendance to ensure that the protest remained peaceful and minimal disruption is caused to the general public.”
One of the Stafford dairy farmers, 38-year-old Matthew Weaver, told the BBC they needed something that would catch people’s attention and “be a bit of fun.”
Weaver explained that the group also consisted of dairy farmers from Derbyshire, Shropshire and Warwickshire who had traveled to Stafford to take part in the protest. They were planning on visiting a Lidl supermarket in Stafford and a second Asda supermarket in Wolstanton.
In other news relating to cattle, the Inquisitr recently reported the moving story of a herd of cows who rescued a 5-day-old baby seal they found trapped in a muddy puddle.
[Images: Screengrabs from YouTube video]
