Waitrose claims it pays more for milk than Sainsbury’s
Waitrose has confirmed that it pays its closed group of Waitrose dairy farmers 33.1 p per litre for milk.
The announcement follows a campaign by Sainsbury’s in which it highlighted its support for UK dairy farmers through its payment of a “fair price” for the milk they supply. It also claimed that Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland all paid farmers less than the average cost of production for four pints, which averages 68p, although it noted that Waitrose “refused to confirm farmers’ contracts”.
However, Waitrose has now confirmed that it pays farmers 75.2p for four pints of milk which puts it in second place behind Marks & Spencer which pays 78p according to Sainsbury’s data. Last week, Sainsbury’s said it paid farmers 72p per four pints while Tesco paid 73p.
Waitrose sources its milk from a closed producer group of 100 farmers.
Mark Williamson, commercial director at Waitrose, said: “We believe it is important our farmers receive a fair price that gives them a sustainable return.
“To set a fair price we collaborate closely with our farmers, meeting regularly to share the details of the cost of production. “Waitrose is consistently at, or very close to, the top of the league table for the price our farmers receive for their milk and this has been the case for many years.
“We pay this fair price because it gives farmers the reassurance and confidence to invest in their businesses. Farmers are the key to a thriving agricultural economy and it is important they receive a sustainable return for the top quality milk they provide.
“Simply put, we want our farmers to have the confidence to stay in farming.”
