The National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland has contacted all major retail chains to ask them to place fresh milk at their sandwich counter as a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks.

The initiative was pioneered by a farmer in Devon when he approached his local Tesco store with the idea of placing one pint (0.5 litre) cartons of milk in their sandwich chilled cabinets. Tesco has been pleased with the response and are looking at the idea of rolling it out nationwide.

Now NFU Scotland have picked up on the initiative and written to the four largest supermarket chains in the country – Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s – asking them to pilot the idea in Scotland.

Milk is already sold in one pint cartons and these are ideal for the food to go cabinets in supermarkets. There is also room for milk processors to develop new products which can build on the appeal of milk as convenient and nutritious.

Graeme Kilpatrick, chair of the Scottish NFU's dairy committee, said the initiative could help alleviate the price crisis farmers find themselves in.

"Good news in the dairy sector is currently hard to come by. The dairy farming crisis is deepening, with the majority of Scottish farmers now receiving less than 19p per litre and, for some, their milk price has sunk as low as 11 or 12p," Kilpatrick said.