A KNUTSFORD dairy farmer and a town-based dairy have applauded the move by Booths to sell milk at a ‘fair price’.

This week Booths launched a new fair milk product, which will replace all Booths own label milk, paying the highest supermarket price of 35.5p per litre to farmers, which will in turn increase the price at the till.

Booths, which has a store in Knutsford, has pledged that whenever you buy of pint of Booths milk, the farmer will receive a fair price for it, as all Booths own label milk will be traded as Fair Milk.

Chairman Edwin Booth said: “As dairy farmers are under pressure, we guarantee to pay our farmers the highest market price for every pint of milk we sell.

“Paying the highest market price means family farms are able to keep going, invest in the future and spend more time and money looking after their herds to ensure they produce great quality milk.”

Many supermarkets have started to charge £1 for four litres of milk so this move by Booths has been welcomed by Booths Hall-based farmer Alan Norbury who provides milk for Parkgate-based Sheldons Dairy.

Alan, who recently picked up seven awards for his herd, told the Guardian he welcomed the move.

“It’s good news that they are selling it at this price and in turn helping us out,” he added.

“I think all supermarkets should sell milk at a proper price instead of being a loss leader to get the customers through the door.

“If they are not careful then we will have no milk.”

Chris Sheldon, from Sheldons Dairy, added: “The move reflects well and it’s better for the farmer.

“Supermarkets have got to have a fair price otherwise we will end up having no farmers left. I would hazard a guess though that some supermarkets are going for the long life products rather than fresh, like they have in Spain for example, rather than pay for the refrigeration costs.

“For us it is the service factor and our customers are prepared to pay for that. We also look after the community at the same time by reporting things that we’ve seen at all times in the morning.

“If you drive past Toft Cricket Club and see the cows in the field then that is the milk that they are drinking when they go through us.”

The market price is collected by an independent price comparison consultancy, milkprices.com, who monitor the farmgate prices of the major UK supermarkets.