Volume 12: Livestock Farming
3.
Promotion and marketing of dairy and beef products
Milk Marketing Boards
3.5 In 1986 the five Milk Marketing Boards 1 in the UK together comprised the Federation of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards (the Federation). The Federation was formed in 1962 to help establish and develop general UK dairy policy, and to present a united case in discussions with the Government. 2
3.6 The Milk Marketing Boards' main statutory responsibility was to regulate the marketing of milk, 3 as past experience had shown that individual and uncoordinated efforts of farmers to obtain fair prices for their product were ineffectual in maintaining their incomes. The Boards purchased all milk produced, and sold it for liquid consumption or manufacture. Income was pooled and distributed to producers in proportion to the milk they had consigned to the Boards.
3.7 The Boards also offered farm management services to farmers to help increase efficiency on the farm; milk recording schemes to enable farmers to plan breeding, culling and feeding; and general management and herd health schemes. They provided artificial insemination services as well and maintained bulls at stud forthis purpose.
3.8 Legislation to abolish the Boards was passed in 1993, and the revocation of their Milk Marketing Schemes took effect from 1 November 1994 (1 March 1995 in Northern Ireland). Since November 1994, it has been open to producers to join voluntary farmer-owned cooperatives which purchase milk from producers. In addition, many dairy companies buy milk from producers, and various independent producer groups have been set up to market their members' milk. The other functions of the Boards have either ceased, or have been taken over in by the private sector. The breeding and production services were taken over in 1994 by Genus Limited in England and Wales and by the Scottish Livestock Services in Scotland. The Milk Development Council (Great Britain) was set up in 1995 to support on-farm research and livestock improvement work, to prepare industry statistics and to provide market information. 4
1 The Milk Marketing Board of England and Wales; the Scottish Milk Marketing Board; the Aberdeen and District Milk Marketing Board; the North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board; and the Milk Marketing Board for Northern Ireland. The Boards themselves were established in the Agricultural Marketing Acts of 1931 and 1933 (1955 in Northern Ireland), and their 'Schemes' were subsequently amended by the Government to meet changing conditions
2 Dairy Facts and Figures 1986
3 First established in the Agricultural Marketing Acts of 1931 and 1933
4 Dairy Facts and Figures 1994 and 1996
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