Milk bars could soon be a familiar sight in secondary schools across Wales, Farmers Union of Wales representatives were told at a meeting recently held with First Milk.

Milk bars aim to encourage 11 to 18-year-olds to drink more of the white stuff. Milk bars have proved to be hugely successful in Scotland where nearly every secondary school has a Milk Bar, and approximately 1,200 primary schools also have a milk bar.

The idea has been pioneered by the farmers co-operative First Milk and, following the amalgamation of Axis and Scottish Milk, now the largest dairy farmers co-operative in the UK, this very successful initiative is available to local schools.

The first two milk bars in Wales were launched in October at schools in Llanidloes and Brecon.

We hope milk bars will soon become common place in secondary schools across Wales, said Rebecca Williams, the FUW county executive officer for Pembrokeshire.

We understand positive talks are already taking place with Carmarthenshire Education Department and hope that when First Milk are ready to expand the project they will look at coming to Pembrokeshire.

Milk is probably the most wholesome and nutritional food available to children. Milk is one of the best natural sources of calcium which is needed to build strong bones in childhood.

But, as well as bringing health benefits to children, milk bars also give an important boost to the dairy industry.

Milk bars offer a range of quality, flavoured milk drinks and consumption of milk at the school in Llanidloes increased from six pints a day to 96 pints a day.

Pictured left to right are: Standing, Lewis Griffiths, county executive officer, Ceredigion FUW, and Rebecca Williams, county executive officer, Pembrokeshire FUW. Seated, Ogwyn Evans, county chairman, Carmarthenshire FUW, and Dennis Gray, First Milk schools executive.