DAIRY farmers from North Yorkshire have won support from MPs after travelling to London to voice fears over the future of their industry.

The ten-strong delegation headed to Westminster to lobby for political backing and highlight what they say is a “crisis” over current milk contracts which has placed an “intolerable stranglehold” on them.

Their trip was part of a campaign by the NFU, which says the contracts provide no certainty or clarity on the price farmers will be offered for their produce and do not provide escape clauses even if the price is cut.

Elvington farmer David Shaw, who chairs the National Farmers’ Union’s regional dairy board, said. “We set out to appeal to as many MPs as possible to support us in our campaign and, in particular, to put pressure on the Government to support a package of dairy proposals developed by the European Commission,” “We believe these proposals, which cover contractual elements such as the price and contract length, could deliver real benefits here in the UK, but this to work, we need the support of the Government.

“The response we got was extremely positive and we came away with a wealth of pledges to support our campaign and promote the need for fairer dealings between farmers, dairy companies and retailers. The Government has a real opportunity to raise the benchmark and help safeguard the future of hundreds of small family firms, so we hope the extra support will help get this message across.”

The delegation has been supported by Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.