A planning application has been lodged with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for a milk vending machine at a farm outside Ballyclare.
The application is for a self-service milk vending machine and pasteurisation unit at Fisherwick Farm, Mill Road, Doagh.
The merchandising facility can sell fresh milk directly to the customer through a coin-operated vending machine with no additional packaging costs and can be regarded by farmers as a business opportunity to maximise income.
Dairy farmers selling milk direct to customers is reportedly becoming increasingly popular in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is creating an “on-farm” milk vending machine map of locations in the Province.
Meanwhile. UFU has expressed concerns over a “poor return” for milk from dairy processors and is seeking an urgent meeting saying that dairy farmers have yet to benefit from a “booming market”.
UFU dairy chair Mervyn Gordon said:
“We’ve asked for a meeting with Northern Ireland dairy processors because the UFU milk price indicator has shown that dairy markets are continuously improving, offering significantly better returns than what processors are paying their farmers.
“They’re the primary producers but have yet to see the positive impact of rising commodity prices in the market which is completely unjust after such a long period of ongoing increases.”