Farmers must receive a fair price for the product and it is not fair that they are at mercy of supermarkets to generate footfall, the CEO of Lakeland Dairies has said.

When asked for his take on retailers cutting own-brand milk prices, Colin Kelly said that supermarkets are going to use certain products to get people in the door and maybe make more margin on the rest of the shopping basket.

“We deal with a number of retailers on the island and across Europe, our line is very clear: farmers need a sustainable economic model.

“Being at the mercy of price movements to generate footfall in supermarkets – it’s not fair that that would be passed on to farmers. Farmers must receive a fair price for the product they’re producing every day.

“It’s very important that we stand together and stand firm if those products are being sold at less than their value to entice people into stores,” he said.