He told a scrutiny panel looking at the dairy industry that it was being deregulated ‘by default’ because of a lack of a positive lead by government.
He was giving evidence to a Scrutiny Panel yesterday, on the second day of a three-day session to assess the findings of the recent Promar Report into the industry.
The hearings also coincide with an announcement that some dairy farmers are planning a breakaway dairy operation.
Mr Keen said that the Jersey Marketing Scheme, which has been in place since 1954, was now no longer supported by government, and he realised that the dairy industry had to live in a ‘Brave New World’ of a deregulated market.
The report has laid out five separate options for the Jersey Milk Marketing Board in the future, ranging from a scheme of mandatory participation by milk producers, to a completely deregulated market.
He saw no problem with the existing Milk Marketing Scheme, and he personally supported its continuance, as being the least high-risk future for the industry and producers.
But, given the options available, he would live with what appeared to be the preferred option of transforming the JMMB into a voluntary producer’s co-operative.
