West Country milk producers being forced out of business
West Country farmers will be in Westminster today to join a summit meeting about falling milk prices.
Farmers say relationship with supermarkets is 'unfair'
The government has promised to set up an adjudicator to sort out arguments but farmers fear it'll be a toothless beast.
Farmers set up mobile milking parlour
Two men from Dorset have set up as dairy farmers without having a farm at all. INstead they've invested in a mobile milking parlour
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Farm workers protest at MP's surgery in Frome
Farm workers are staging another protest this morning outside the Frome surgery of local MP and Farming Minister David Heath. Members of the Unite union are angry at plans to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board, which sets rates of pay and conditions for farm workers.
Unite says there are 26,000 agricultural workers in the South West, with 1,000 working in Mr Heath's constituency. The union held a similar protest last month.
Calls for Schmallenberg vaccine: full report
Sheep farmers are at crisis point. They say recent bad weather, low supermarket prices and now the return of the deadly Schmallenberg virus are threatening to put them out of business.
Schmallenberg causes birth defects in lambs. And while it was only discovered a year ago, farmers say the impact has been huge - 91 cases have been confirmed across Dorset and Somerset so far this year.
One farmer says if his sheep contract the virus his livelihood will be destroyed.
Tanya Mercer reports:
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Chief vet hopes to find approved vaccine "quite soon"
Calls for virus vaccine fast, as still births and deformities increase
As sheep farmers in the region experience higher than normal losses, still births and deformities, the NFU says every effort must be made to ensure a vaccine is available later this year to help combat the spread of the deadly Schmallenberg virus.
The disease has spread across England and Wales to the Scottish border region, and has now been confirmed on more than 1,000 UK farms.
Although it is still being recognised by Defra and the European Commission as 'low impact' on a national scale, the cost for individual businesses can run into thousands of pounds.
It comes at the same time as lamb prices have hit their lowest level for three years and livestock producers are facing rising production costs due to the extreme weather in 2012.
NFU calls for vaccine for deadly virus
The National Farmers' Union says it's vital that a vaccine for Schmallenberg virus is made available this year. The disease causes stillbirths and birth defects in sheep and cattle and is carried through insects.
It's spreading through the South West, with nearly 60 cases in Dorset and more than 50 in South Somerset.
Agriculture Minister responds to calls for lantern ban
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Farmers fear they could be forced out of business
Hundreds of farmers from the south west were at today's meeting. They're concerned that many people will be forced out of dairy farming. Ken Goodwin has been to meet a couple who say they are so fed up, they are getting out of the industry.
Video: Gloucester dairy farmers selling their herd
Chris Gott and his partner Rosalind Cookson have been dairy farmers all their working lives in Gloucester, but they say they will lose at least £70,000 a year when the milk price drops.
They've had enough and plan to auction off their entire herd and leave dairy farming.
West Country milk producers being forced out of business
West Country farmers will be in Westminster today to join a summit meeting about falling milk prices.
Read the full storyMilk producers forced out of business by dairy cuts
Farmers in the region are going to Westminster to join a summit meeting about falling milk prices. It's been called by the National Farmers' Union, which says milk producers are being forced out of business as big dairy companies cut costs
The meeting will hear from farming minister Jim Paice, who admitted yesterday that he didn't know the price of a pint.
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