Jones Dairies, one of Barry’s oldest firms, received a visit from Vale MP Alun Cairns last week to celebrate World Milk Day. The local MP was interested to learn that after decades of decline, the number of people receiving doorstep deliveries of milk is increasing sharply in Barry and the surrounding area.
Jones Dairies, established in 1927, is possibly Barry’s oldest firm. The Vale MP was pleased to see how its 15-person operation is still going strong – largely thanks to the increased popularity of milk from a float.
Mr Cairns also learned more about the challenges to the industry such as the street-light switch-off policy, which makes it difficult for the milkman to deliver before dawn.
He said, “It’s fantastic to see one of Barry’s oldest family firms going strong after nearly 90 years. I was very interested, but not entirely surprised to hear that milk delivered in the traditional way is becoming more and more popular.
“It’s not only more convenient to have the milk delivered, the taste is different too. The milk that local dairies deliver is usually farmed in a more traditional way than the intensive farming methods that are often used to produce cheaper supermarket milk.”
World Milk Day was started by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in 2001 and is an opportunity to celebrate the ‘White Stuff’.
Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK, said, “As we pour milk on our cereal or add it to tea or coffee, we should remember that milk gives us so many of the nutrients that our bodies need. It’s tasty, versatile and healthy – and it also plays an important nutritional role at all stages of life.”