Belgian Farmers go on Milk-Dumping Binge to Protest Low Prices

In Europe, you can get a liter of milk for 20 (Euro) cents. That doesn’t even begin to cover dairy farmers’ expenses – and to make a point, they’ve dumped millions of liters of the cow secretions into a field. The mass dumping was just the latest move in a protest that has also included blocking deliveries and holding back supplies.

From Reuters:

They blame both the European Commission and local governments and about 7,000 liters of milk was dumped in front of German agriculture ministry buildings in Bonn on Saturday.

Leaders of the protests say they want the European Union to freeze planned increases in production quotas and on Wednesday they demanded the creation of a pan-European institution to regulate the demand and supply of milk.

“It is really sad that we have to throw away the milk,” Romuald Schaber, president of the European Milk Board, said at a demonstration in Belgium where protesting farmers watched hundreds of tractors spew milk over fields.

“Our demands were not heard by the politicians.”

That field is seriously going to stink like hell for a while – and imagine all the hormones seeping into the soil. What a waste. Ironically, over in Britain, there’s a milk shortage, with British farmers saying they simply can’t meet the demand for milk. Dairies and supermarkets in Britain have to import millions of liters a day from abroad, but apparently that’s not enough to help out the angry European dairy farmers.

Link [Reuters] + [Times Online]
Photo credit: BBC

New ‘Green’ Milk Jugs Not Cutting it with Consumers

So, apparently green milk jugs kind of suck. At least, that’s according to the Wal-Mart and Costco shoppers who have purchased the newly redesigned gallon jugs and complain about how hard they are to pour. These new jugs have been introduced because they’re cheaper to ship, better for the environment, cost less and provide fresher milk to the store. The new shape makes the jugs stackable and eliminates the need for crates. Indentations in the plastic give the jugs structural support.

From The New York Times, via Treehugger:

The jugs have no real spout, and their unorthodox shape makes consumers feel like novices at the simple task of pouring a glass of milk.

“I hate it,” said Lisa DeHoff, a cafe owner shopping in a Sam’s Club here.

“It spills everywhere,” said Amy Wise, a homemaker.

“It’s very hard for kids to pour,” said Lee Morris, who was shopping for her grandchildren.

Eco-Fail – not because it’s not innovative or is a bad idea, but because this is the sort of thing that turns off the millions of Wal-Mart shoppers from ‘green’ products and ideas. I mean, great way to turn the Wal-Mart set green – take away their easy pouring milk jugs and give them something to complain about, especially in this nation of resistance to change. They’re more than likely not going to care if the jugs help the environment if they can’t even pour milk into a bowl of cereal without spilling it.

A commenter on the Treehugger post suggested some kind of reusable accessory – stainless steel, perhaps – that mounts onto the jug to make it easier to pour. Great idea, but would Wal-Mart shoppers really go for that? They want simple, cheap and fast. Perhaps another redesign is in the cards – one that’s more practical for everyday use.

Link [The New York Times] via [Treehugger] via [Bag of Nothing]
Photo credit: David Maxwell for the New York Times