Waitrose and Nisa have cut milk prices in response to reductions from Britain‘s leading supermarkets.
The news was announced at the John Lewis Partnership‘s full-year results presentation today, as Waitrose chief Mark Price said four-pints of standard own-label milk would fall to £1 from £1.39.
“We already match Tesco on branded groceries and we will continue investing back in price,” he said.
Nisa said it would run a “long-term promotion” on a two-for- £2 deal on two-litre bottles of its Heritage milk from Monday.
The news follows as Morrisons cut its price of two litres of its own-brand milk to 84p – equivalent to 24p a pint – as the Bradford-based grocer kept pace with rivals Sainsbury‘s, Tesco and the Co-operative. It claims it is now Britain‘s cheapest supermarket for milk.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Marks & Spencer confirmed they would not be selling milk from farms taking part in the Badger cull. More than 1,700 badgers have been culled in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire at an estimated cost of £7.29m according to charity Care for the Wild.
“We have never sourced milk from those areas,” he said.
Asda and Waitrose are understood to be in the same position as M&S. When the government decided last August to take measures to control TB in cattle, the companies made clear that none of them sourced their milk from the cull area. This position has not changed.
Public interest in the subject is high, with this story attracting over 400 comments on Twitter.
“Just as we have a choice between organic and non-organic milk, so we should have a choice between suppliers who source their milk from cull areas and the rest of the country,” said a consumer.
