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It’s the perfect dairying scenario – a farmer producing milk near to a processing plant, of exactly the right compositional quality, with the creamery owned by the farmer’s co-operative, and one that is making great products and positive, profitable progress. That’s the situation many First Milk members are familiar with, of course, but not every farmer aspires to complete that chain.

 John Bell, who farms at Aigle Gill Farm, three miles from Aspatria, is one who does, however. He could tick most of those boxes, but until recently not all of them - the milk from his 160 cows has always gone into The Lake District Creamery at Aspatria, but as a supplier to another co-operative, Dairy Farmers of Britain, he didn’t own a bit of it. Doing so was important to him, though.

As a passionate supporter of co-operatives he’d refused to become a direct supply to the plant by joining Dairy Crest. But when First Milk purchased the plant the opportunity to move buyer to fulfil that sense of ownership presented itself.

The direction the re-branded creamery took to become the Lake District Cheese Company was John’s trigger to make the move to First Milk, combined with the fact that the milk he was producing improved his returns significantly.

The milk, at an exceptional 4.4% butterfat and 3.6% protein, is just what the creamery wants, so pays well for it at 2.333p per 1% butterfat and 3.733p per 1% protein. Cell counts are also good at around 120, with bactoscans down at around 30. John estimates he is 0.7ppl better off under First Milk, which is equivalent to £7000 a year on his one million litre volume, for no extra work.  But that wasn’t the main reason for joining First Milk, he insists.

“Price wasn’t the factor.  It’s simply the fact that I liked what I saw happening at the creamery, and believe it is moving in the right direction. I think the Lake District brand will be a success, I want to be a part of it and I see the factory as being much more secure now,” he said.

Farming 610 acres, of which 350 are arable and the rest grassland, in partnership with his wife Linda and parents Ian and Marjorie, the family have not been without their farming troubles in recent years.

In 2001 the farm was culled out due to Foot and Mouth disease and the family took a two year break from dairying. In 2003, however, John decided the time was right to return, so in a “back to their roots” move they purchased a pedigree Ayrshire herd to enable them to produce the high quality milk the factory required.

“My grandfather and father both had Ayrshires. We had moved towards black and whites a bit before we were culled, but decided to move back.”  Over time John may expand up to 200 cows, but that will be subject to being able to invest in new accommodation and slurry storage facilities, and perhaps, the future farming aspirations of daughters Rebecca (8); Lucy (6) and Emily (5 months).

First Milk Membership Director Alan Taylor is delighted to welcome John into the First Milk fold.

“The Bell family have a long agricultural heritage and are a well-respected farming family in Cumbria and we are delighted that John has taken the decision to join us.  John’s positive views on wanting to own a share of his local creamery and being proud of its products is at the heart of our First Milk vision to control as much of the supply chain as possible to optimise value for our members.

“We hope that other producers look at what we are achieving and our ambition to become the leading UK-based dairy business and make the decision to join us.”