Picture special: Crowds turn out for Telford dairy show

Farmers from across Britain turned out for the UK Dairy Day held in Telford yesterday, one of the biggest shows of its kind in the country.

By noon many of the car parks in Telford Town Centre were full, and hundreds of drivers parked on grass verges around the area.

The event included a cattle show, where 180 animals were judged for 11 different classes, educational seminars on how to run their businesses more efficiently, and more than 300 trade stands.

Farmers said the event was a show of solidarity as they continued to lose money. But they warned that many farmers would lose their livelihoods in the next 12 months unless there was a big turnaround in the industry's fortunes.

Cars were parked along grass verges on main roads, blocking pavements, stopping access to bus stops and obstructing drivers from being able to view a roundabout as they approached it.

This was the scene along one of the busy roads running past Telford's International Centre yesterday while the UK Dairy Day Show was being staged at the venue.

One resident, who lives near the centre, said the parking problems were a feature of every big event held at the international centre.

Nigel Toffanin, 49, of Dalford Court, in Hollinswood, Telford, said: "Cars are just left anywhere and everywhere.

"Drivers can't be bothered to find parking spaces.

"There were vehicles all over the verges on St Quentin's Gate and they were even parked up across the pavement.

"But this is nothing new – it is like this whenever there is a big event at the Telford International Centre and it makes it very difficult for pedestrians to get past or for the elderly who want to get to the bus stop."

He added: "The cars and vans rip up the verges, especially when the grass is wet, and that sort of damage takes a long time to repair.

Enforcing

"I rang up the council to ask what they could do about it and they said that they are not responsible for enforcing the parking on the verges, and that enforcement is a police job."

One of the visitors to the UK Dairy Day Show, who did not wish to be named, said that he had been directed away from the main international centre car parks because they were already full. He added: "I was directed to a multi-story car park nearby and that was fine, as it was only a short walk from the centre."

Rachel Jones, speaking on behalf of the international centre, said that the centre staff had worked with event organisers to provide ample free parking for all visitors to the show.

She said: "We have also placed additional signage around the town to direct visitors to the approved car parking areas.

"We can only apologise that visitors to an event at the international centre have chosen to park on grass verges surrounding the venue, and for the inconvenience this has caused.

One Shropshire farmer called for a return to old-style milk quotas, warning that for generations to come people will struggle to eat unless action was taken to save the industry.

Ben Yates, of Wilfred Maddocks Farm near Newport, said he expected to see a significant reduction in the number of dairy farms over the next 12 months.

Difficult

"It's very hard at the moment," said Mr Yates, who took two prizes at the show.

"It's difficult, you can't not make money for long.

"I'm reasonably confident about our future, as we are a mixed farm, but farms will be lost.

"The number of farmers will be down shortly after Christmas, people can't keep losing money."

Mr Yates, who is 39, also criticised politicians of all parties, saying they did not understand the importance of the farming industry.

He said Labour's appointment of vegan MP Kerry McCarthy as agriculture minister summed up the mood at Westminster.

"Do they want people to eat? Do they want us to go hungry? Eventually, I think that is what will happen. It won't happen in my lifetime but it will come.

"You see all the new houses they are building in Shifnal and in Newport, and those people have got to eat."

Jane Whittaker, who runs Ivy House Farm in Weston-under-Redcastle with husband Andy and daughter Izzy, also predicted farmers would leave the industry over the coming months.

The farm took first prize for Intermediate Two-Year-Old-in-Milk category with Knowlesmere Goldwyn Abrakaboom.

Mrs Whittaker said her family's farm was going through a very difficult period, and like many in the industry was holding out in the hope that things would eventually get better.

She added: "It has always been an up and down industry, but times are very bad at the moment.

"There isn't that much that the Government can do, it is just a case of supply exceeding demand. But I think a lot of farmers are leaving the industry, so eventually the price will go back up. It's just a matter of how long we can go on losing money for. Our bank account looks terrible at the moment, we have got a huge overdraft."

Mrs Whittaker, who is 54, said more needed to be done in schools to educate people about farming. "Sometimes people poke their heads over our fence and look at our black and white cows, and ask if they are for meat," she said.

"They don't understand that black-and-white cows are for dairy farming, and brown-and-white ones are for meat."

"I think education is the problem, people must stop buying this really cheap milk.

"Our cows are really looked after in a first-class environment, they are happy and healthy. I am not so sure about some of the others. They do have to meet a standard, but it's not what we are doing."

She said the show was an excellent event, and hoped it would show people how important farming was to the country.

"It's also a good chance to catch up with people who we don't see very often," she said.

"I personally know people from all over the country because we show our animals a lot."

Also attending the show was Rob Harrison, chairman of the National Farmers' Union dairy board.

Mr Harrison said he was very concerned about the welfare of farmers at the moment, although he believed the long-term outlook for the industry was still good.

He said for many farmers, the event was a chance for people to forget about their troubles and enjoy the show, and said it was also important in showing young people that, for all the troubles of the present, dairy farming had an exciting future.

"Our members are dealing with volatility," he said.

"Eventually, things will pick up, it's a long-term industry. Ultimately people still need to eat and drink.

"What we are seeing is a fall in the number of small farms. In years to come, it will be about a smaller number of larger farms."

Mr Harrison said the high value of the pound was a major problem, hitting export markets, but he hoped that a year from now demand would once more be matching supply, and that the industry would be profitable again.

"We can't assume that China and Russia will come back into the market in the short-term, but we are seeing an increase for dairy products in the UK, where we have got a rising population, and from North Africa and America as well."

Demonstrating one possible new market for milk was Wesley Harrington, who showed off a range of milk-based cocktails at the event – all made from Shropshire milk and fruit.

Mr Harrington said milk-based cocktails were already well established in London, and said many high-end restaurants had also started offering them.

Rebecca Barningham, joint event manager, said attendances were well up on last year, and the show was now the largest event of its kind in the UK.

She said the number of people who turned out was a sign of how passionately farmers felt about their industry, and the emphasis this year was on sharing information to help make farms more profitable.

"The idea is to help the farmers around these challenging times," said Miss Barningham.

"The aim is to help them look at how they look at their farm as a business, how they can expand their milk output, it's all about sharing knowledge."

She said one popular attraction was a veterinary display, where the vets painted a cow to show its different organs.

"The idea is that farmers will learn about their animals, and it will be useful to them in monitoring their health."

She said the event was also an opportunity to show farmers the latest technologies which could transform the way they worked. "These days it is now possible to monitor milking from an iPhone," she said.

"The young farmers are really good in this respect, often they will come to an event like this and take their knowledge about the new technology back home with them. Many of them are father-and-son businesses, and it is the best of both worlds, the father provides the experience and the sons will bring the new technology to the business."