Quality Milk Producers AGM 2009
The AGM of QMP was held on Wednesday evening at the Dairy Event in the JCS pavilion and they were able to report a substantial profit for the year, despite having spent increased amounts on market support and having had to make representations to DEFRA over the PDO application from Jersey Island Dairy for the exclusive use of the trade name “Jersey Butter”. DEFRA have yet to make a decision and it is hoped that the compromise suggestion that the key word “Island” should be inserted ie “Jersey Island Butter” will be accepted.
The good news is that ASDA have recently relisted GOLD TOP milk in their stores replacing their own label Jersey & Guernsey milk, and that TESCO are currently running a trial with Gold Top in some stores and “Finest” CI in others and will make a decision in October to list one or the other. Given that 5 years ago they were the first of the Major supermarkets to replace Gold Top with their own label this has to be encouraging.
Keith Collins of Highgrove Foods gave an overview of the retail milk market with Full Fat milk down by -12%, Organic down by -3%, Healthy option milks such as Omega 3 sales collapsing, but sales of Gold Top have been stable. The worry is that the consumer is like the farmers getting older by the day and so QMP are part funding research to try and establish why the younger consumer does not buy the product. I suspect that the answer is that they don’t see it in store as on my infrequent shopping trips the shelves are more often empty of CI/Gold Top.
The Gold Top Milk bar partly funded by QMP has visited 15 events including the Great Dorset Steam Fair and more than a million consumers have had the chance to sample the product at these shows but they are very “weather” dependent and as above if the milk is not on the shelf then a purchase is impossible.