The Farmers' Union of Wales today described as a positive development the additional 2p per litre former suppliers of collapsed cooperative Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) are to get for milk they had to sell for a much reduced price before they could find a new buyer.
"We must look on the positive side because most farmers supplying Dairy Farmers did not expect to receive such a payment," said FUW milk committee chairman Eifion Huws.
"It is very welcome but for most suppliers it means an additional payment of hundreds of pounds, not the thousands they would have expected for their milk."
Mr Huws believes it took some farmers up to six weeks to secure a new buyer after receivers Pricewaterhouse Coopers were appointed in June 2009.
The unexpected additional payments were possible following successful cash collections by the receivers from milk customers over the past six months.
DFB employed a total of 2,200 at its cheese factory at Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, and liquid milk dairy in Bridgend plus other sites in the south-west and north-east of England and the Midlands.
It had 1,800 farmer members across Great Britain who supplied over one billion litres to the food and drink industry.