FIRST Milk is moving more of its farms away from daily milk collections.
The organisation has announced it will soon be collecting from farms on the Isle of Arran every second day and a number of farms in Kintyre and Gigha are to follow; some farms in Kintyre are already on four-days-a week collection.
Daily collections will cease as soon as soon as new tanks are in place at the three remaining dairy farms on Arran.
The move is seen as essential to save money and safeguard the future of milk supplies on the island.
First Milk dairy farming co-operative buys the milk and supplies it to Arran Dairies, Torrylinn Creamery and the Isle of Arran Cheese Shop. First Milk representative Willie Cuthbertson said: ‘The bottom line is that we have to look at minimising costs. ‘One of our biggest costs is transport, so collection every second day would be a benefit. Because of where the price of milk is these days any reduction in costs would be welcome.’
Arran has three dairy farms now compared to 16 in 1991 but they are supplying the same quantity of milk.
On Gigha the plans have been welcomed. Last winter’s problems with the ferry berth at Tayinloan saw farmers face the heartbreak of dumping milk on 11 days.
Under the new scheme the farms on Gigha will have collections every other day but the extra tank capacity being installed at First Milk’s expense will give the farms the capacity for three days’ storage
Added to that the farms have been promised that during bad weather when there looks like the risk of the ferry having to stop, the tankers will come daily if necessary to fit in round the weather.
Along with the tanks the farms are also getting new coolers, which will be more energy efficient and save on fuel bills.
