SOUTH Lakeland dairy farmers have taken tentative steps towards forging a unique local brand designed to siphon more milk product profits back into the county.

A handful of the region’s dairy farmers this week formed a new steering group to explore ways of boosting milk profits by cashing in on the marketing appeal of rural Lakeland and exploring new product possibilities.

The move could see local farmers following in the footsteps of their European counterparts who have hit upon a winning formula of well-marketed regional produce coupled with more control over processing.

Cheese, yoghurt, crème fraiche, milk and organic produce have all been suggested as possible products for a new Lakeland brand.

The local milk marketing initiative has been mooted by Rural Futures – an organisation set up by Voluntary Action Cumbria to help deliver change in the farming community and encourage collaboration among farmers.

At the Crooklands Hotel this week, at the first of two open meetings set up by Rural Futures, a number of farmers signed up to help steer phase one of the initiative forward and commission an in-depth feasibility study into the idea.

Although Cumbria is one of the largest milk-producing counties in the country, current milk processing and distribution structures mean much of the profit from a pint of milk is creamed off with just 17p per litre going to the farmer.

The meeting, chaired by farming entrepreneur John Park of Low Sizergh, heard European farmers were able to make a profit from far less cattle than British dairymen because many farmers in Europe have more ownership of processing – they control up to 50 per cent compared to two per cent in the UK.

Mr Park said farmers had nothing to lose and everything to gain by exploring regional marketing further.

“Everybody in the industry is working like hell for very little profit. It is a situation that can’t continue,” he said.

Voluntary Action Cumbria chief executive Kate Braithwaite said: “Farmers need around 200 cattle here to make a profit but we found in Sweden farmers can achieve that with just 20.” Rural Futures’ area co-ordinator Robert Burrow said farmers would have maximum control over the future direction of the project and the idea of a Lakeland brand. “We want this to be farmer-lead and farmer-owned,” he said.

The next open meeting is at Shepherds Inn, Carlisle Auction Mart, on June 23. The findings of a feasibility study into the initiative should be available by late November.