BUTTER?

[diamond lil]

Floating around the internet and seeing stuff about the rise in food prices later this year. And butter seems to be mentioned a lot. Why butter specifically? What's special about it that would make it likely to go up in cost? Anybody got an idea? I am buying it in and freezing it anyway.

[Adjee]

Most dairy farmers (worldwide) are not producing as much milk. Factors include higher feed, energy costs, herd reductions due to "Green policies".

Here in the EU, farmers are complaining against the implementation of so called "Green policies" under (to name a couple) the Green Deal, Farm to Fork along with biodiversity goals as compliance to these policies add costs and reduces competitiveness on the open market ( that really does not exist anymore).

Many have switched to making their own cheese as it is more profitable than selling milk or making butter.

I visited a goat farm last week hoping to gain a several milk goats to expand our herd. The farm had been running for only five years importing all its original stock from France only to be forced to shut down due to the extra heavy regulation, excessive energy costs, constant threats of herd destruction due to disease (independent testing has proved the disease threats have been false but the cost is obviously still borne by the farm owner).

So, many factors involved, still, soon all milk (along with the associated products) and meat will be synthetic and produced in a lab somewhere and sold at a fixed price on production of your digital ID but I honestly think that most people will not know or care and dinosaurs like us who produce all our own food will be driven to extinction.

[diamond lil]

That all sounds very depressing adjee

[Kiwififer]

With the price of Lurpack spreadable going through the roof a few years back, we switched to butter and I must say, the taste difference is amazing!

Plus it’s probably better for you.

Was there not a butter surplus in the EU back in the day?

[GillyBee]

The Sainsbury's one is still the same price it has been ever since the Ukraine war started. I think part of the problem is that the price is affected by the price of other fats and oils which is what happened in 2022 when lack of sunflower oil led to increased use, shortage and price increases for all the other fats and oils.
And the current looming fuel shortage will mean that diesel vehicles may well switch to cooking oil and push up the price of all food oils and fats in the process.

[diamond lil]

They had what they called a "butter mountain" KF. I remember schools and care homes etc got given tons of it free. God it was like another world back then! I love butter and only buy the good stuff, mainly President and Kerrygold.

[GeeGee]

I worked at Asda leaving school when all that eec butter was cheap they restricted it to 2 per person as everyone was buying 20 it was white wrapper black writing very plain
I worked on the dairy i was 17 year old .. i remember when the doors opened and back then no Sundays or 24 hour openings just normal hours ...
This crowd rushed round the aisle all charging for the butter I ended up running into the back freezers with price gun in my hand ! Terrified ! Yep we still ticketed then ..even had 1/2 p on it ...
I was too scared to come out ! Got a right telling off from the till supervisor as they grabbed it all and none priced up

[Kiwififer]

I remember the so called wine lakes as well.

Which I wanted to row across, lazily dipping my cup into.

Except there was never a lake. Another day dream shattered.

Anyhow, buy local butter and milk if you can. Grahams do a very good sea salt butter up in Scotland, not sure if you get it down south.