South Norfolk dairy farmer Jonny Burridge has enlisted a special recruit to the campaign for a fair milk price – Jelly the Jersey cow.

She is one of the star performers on the family's Manor Farm, where she keeps the rest of the 220-herd of milking cows in order.

'She's really special, very photogenic and quite a character,' said Jonny. Any visitors to the farm at Fundenhall are always met by Jelly, who is a three-year-old Jersey.

Jelly – who is a registered pedigree and is officially known as Stowbeck Meccas Jelly – is rather unusually brown and white. But when she calved on Christmas day, she produced a heifer, now known as Jelly Baby, which has the proper brown Jersey colour.

In the next few weeks, Jelly will be leading a campaign to highlight the dairy industry's concerns about rising costs and also seek a reversal of the 4p price cut imposed since April.

'We're facing real pressure and it is not a lot of fun being a dairy farmer at the moment. The first 2p litre price cut was a big blow because we were just at the point in May when the industry was hoping to see a movement upwards in price to cover our costs,' he added.

'We're trying to reverse this second price cut by grouping together and promoting our cause,' said Jonny.

His family moved from nearby Forncett about seven years ago, partly to expand. 'We're running about 220 cows, mainly Holsteins. We've also got about 15 Jerseys because our herdsman, Peter Forde, had a small Jersey herd.

'He's been with us three and a half years,' he added.

The Holstein pedigree herd gained the prefix Dalharn after the house in Scotland where his parents spent their honeymoon.