A North Staffordshire dairy farm has seen demand for their ‘proper’ milk soar after speaking out against controversial feed additive Bovaer on social media.
Heather and William Seabridge, who run Barlaston Milk Barn at their working family farm, have seen a 50 per cent increase in milk sales from their on-site vending machines since sharing on the farm’s Facebook page that their milk did not contain the methane-suppressing cattle food supplement.
They even sold out of milk one day last week and had to increase production to meet demand. The cows are milked twice daily and the milk is pasteurised on site.
Arla Foods, a Danish-Swedish company which owns the UK’s biggest dairy cooperative, announced last month that they were trialling the use of Bovaer in a bid to reduce the emissions produced by cows in their production lines, prompting concerns about its safety, although it has been approved for use by UK regulators.
Heather told Daily Focus: “We have been overwhelmed with support from the public with regards to British agriculture over recent months and even more so over the last two weeks since the Bovaer information came out.
“We are not involved in any Bovaer trial nor do we wish to be. Altering the natural process of digestion of a cow, potentially causing other issues cannot possibly be a solution to anything. The Bovaer data sheet we have seen is horrendous and to think that farmers are to use the product and cows have to eat it is wrong to us.
“Since opening the barn we have welcomed all the questions people have regarding farming from all ages. For us it is extremely important that people can see and understand where their food comes from. British agriculture is the backbone and heart of our country and it and the government need to acknowledge this.”
The family launched their vending machines to sell directly to the public in April 2021 in a former calf barn on their Longton Road farm. Visitors can fill a reusable glass bottle or a plastic cup with milk and choose from an array of milkshake syrups for a flavoured twist. They also offer brownies, eggs, honey from hives on the farm and other produce.
Heather added: “The public have lost confidence in many things since Covid and it is important that they are fully informed about what we are eating. Our milk is from the cows people see on the farm; we quickly pasteurise – no other pumping or processing – and it is straight into the vending machine for people to purchase. It is ‘proper’ milk as many call it, nothing added and nothing taken away.
“Since Bovaer hit the headlines we have been inundated with people wanting to chat about milk, the processing and whether we use Bovaer. We needed to and wanted to put a post out to reassure the public and since then our social media following has markedly increased and our sales of milk alone has increased by 50 per cent.
“We hope this will continue and that people will enjoy buying fresh and local produce while supporting British farming.”
Barlaston Milk Barn is open from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday. The vending machines are unmanned and all payments are contactless. Milk costs £1.40 per litre and a reusable glass bottle is £2.30.
