Scottish Milk Marketing Board (marketing board : 1934-1994 : Scotland)

As with its English equivalent, the Scottish Milk Marketing Board were formed in 1934 . On 6 November 1991, John Gummer, Minister of Agriculture, called upon the Milk Marketing Board in England and Wales to bring forward a proposal to move towards a voluntary status and this was rapidly echoed by the Minister of Agriculture in Scotland at the time, Lord Strathclyde. The Boards in Scotland responded positively saying that this was the way they wanted to go with SMMB Chairman Mr Andrew Howie saying in particular that he envisaged transfer to a voluntary farmers' co-operative without disruption. There should, he said, be a "seamless join". After a great deal of debate, it was announced that vesting day for the three new co-operatives in Scotland would be the 1st November 1994, in line with the date in England and Wales. In this way over sixty years of legally enforced collective marketing of their milk by dairy farmers, in its time an efficient and often admired system, passed into history.