Farmers in the westcountry who supply milk to Tesco are to get a pay rise of just over 2p a litre from next month. It follows a summer of protests over planned price cuts which saw a series of blockades at dairy processors including Robert Wiseman near Bridgwater.
Morrisons and the Co-Op hiked their prices following the demonstrations. Tesco says the new price of up to 31.58p per litre follows a regular review and is not connected to the protests.
A second protest will be held in Somerset tonight over the continuing row about milk prices. Around 300 people took part in a blockade last Thursday at Robert Wiseman in Bridgwater. Since then the supermarket chains Co-Op and Morrisons have agreed to raise the amount they pay.
A Somerset farmer's facing an anxious wait this evening after his cattle were tested for TB. James Small has already been forced to slaughter two animals earlier this year when they were found to have the disease.
And he's not alone. In 2010, 25,000 cattle in England were slaughtered because of Bovine TB. It's cost farmers £10 million. Our reporter Jonty Messer has been following farmer James Small as his cattle were tested.
More help is to be given to South West farmers to combat a disease which is costing the region around £42m a year.
Read the full storyTwo dairy farmers from Dorchester are defying convention by milking their herd of 500 cows in the field in a mobile milking parlour. The cows and and parlour move around the 900 acres of rented pasture.
