On this day in Wembury — 27 January 1986

At the Wembury branch of the Women’s Institute, members gathered to hear Mr. B. Sweetburton from the Milk Marketing Board explain the growing problem of unsold butter across Europe. With the European food mountains then making headlines, his talk covered the surplus caused by overproduction and changes in demand, noting how the Board was seeking new ways to promote dairy consumption.

The meeting, chaired by Vice-President Christine Wood, also included a competition for the best dairy recipe, won by Mrs. Margaret Thorlby, with Mrs. Violet Orchard in second place. The raffle prizes were won by Margaret Greenhill, Zefie and Phyllis Bawden.

The discussion reflected the agricultural anxieties of the mid-1980s, when Common Agricultural Policy surpluses—known as “butter mountains”—highlighted how global markets and local farming fortunes were tightly linked, even in rural parishes like Wembury.

Source: Western Evening Herald, 27 January 1986.