Mossgiel vows to ‘keep the milk moving’ after losing council schools contract

Mossgiel Organic Dairy has confirmed it has lost its contract to supply milk to East Ayrshire’s schools, ending a four–year partnership that the farm says transformed the way pupils received food across the local authority.

Photo: Mossgiel’s Facebook

The farm, based in Mauchline, had been supplying schools since 2021 with organic milk delivered in reusable dispensers, a move that eliminated millions of single–use cartons and bottles. Deliveries were made by electric vehicles and Mossgiel also ran dozens of in–school sessions teaching children about farming and food production.

Posting on social media, the farm said it was “gutted” by the decision, adding: “We were proud to work alongside the council to make this happen, proving that milk can be local, sustainable and free from single-use plastic; but despite the milk contract being designed to encourage small, local suppliers to tender, a national company undercut us and won the tender.”

Mossgiel claimed that while the council may save money up front, the wider impact could see jobs lost, more diesel deliveries to school playgrounds, and additional costs for recycling. They argued that local value is being stripped from the economy, and raised questions about whether a large supplier could guarantee consistent organic milk supply in the current market.

The farm highlighted recent reports of shortages of organic milk elsewhere in the UK, suggesting that if national suppliers are already struggling to meet demand, Ayrshire schools could face risks to their promised organic provision. They also pointed to a previous instance in another local authority where organic contracts were switched mid-supply, raising concerns over how secure such commitments can be.

Despite the disappointment, Mossgiel has been quick to pivot, placing surplus milk into new outlets. The first dispenser has already been installed in Premier Girvan, with free samples available, and Brownings the Bakers has announced Mossgiel dispensers — including its Brown Cow chocolate milk — will be rolled out across all of its shops. Local doorstep deliveries are also being expanded through a partnership with Mills Milk.

Farmer Bryce Cunningham said: “We can’t turn the cows off – they still make milk and that milk needs to go somewhere. So we’re determined to get the flow moving.”

Staff collecting Mossgiel’s dispensers from schools reported kind words from catering and transport teams, who said they too were “gutted” by the change. In a thank you message, Mossgiel wrote: “To the hardworking peeps of EAC, all of the 300+ in the catering teams who feed our children every day, and of course all the pupils and staff who enjoyed our local, organic and waste free milk supply since 2021 - THANK MOO.”

East Ayrshire Council, when asked for comment, told Ayrshire Daily News:

“East Ayrshire Council can confirm that Mossgiel Milk’s bid to remain on the Council’s Fresh and Organic Food Framework was unsuccessful. The Council remains committed to providing healthy nutritious school meals, and has for the past 20 years, issued Fresh and Organic Food contracts. The contracts are designed to provide a range of produce that meets higher welfare, and health and nutritional value. The successful tenderers have committed to maintain these standards.

“In terms of the tender process, Mossgiel Milk, like other bidders, had the opportunity to submit documentation, and product, in accordance with the published criteria for this contract. On receipt, the Council applied the price and quality scoring criteria for this contract in a fair and consistent manner across all of the documentary submissions received, including those from Mossgiel Milk.

“The evaluation did consider significant quality criteria including quality of food and sourcing; health promotion and social responsibility; systems and operating arrangements.

“Tender submissions for an earlier procured contract hold no bearing, or relevance, to this particular procurement exercise given this tender has been designed to address the Council’s current specific needs.

“The Council has strong links through the Ayrshire Economic Forum that engages with the wider local market to promote opportunity and support the food industry; and there is also direct support from the Council’s business support team and the Supplier Development Programme, which delivers grant support and expertise to businesses exploring public sector procurement opportunities.

“The contracts awarded include Organic Milk, Fresh and Organic fruit and vegetables, higher welfare certificated meat and chicken as well as free range eggs. This approach has resulted in the Council continuing to lead the way in sustainable school food, with the only Gold Food For Life accreditation in Scotland.”