The scale of the crisis facing Britain’s dairy farmers following years of falling milk prices has been laid bare in a new report that shows that more than 1,000 farms have closed in the past three years.
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In fact, some seven out of 10 consumers said they would buy dairy products directly from businesses owned by farmers themselves if it meant supporting the agricultural industry.
The worst hit area of the United Kingdom is North Yorkshire, where 89 farms have closed, and the largest proportionate decline is in Berkshire, where a third of farms have now shut down. The slump in prices remains an ongoing problem despite widespread protests previous year led by the National Farmers Union.
PCF director Claire Saunders said: “We want to support farmers to make sure they have the opportunities to make the right business decisions”.
In recognition of that growing interest, fellow retailer and dairy producer, Arla, has unveiled its own initiative, Arla Farmers Milk, geared toward doing better for the nation’s farmers by charging customers a fraction more for the white stuff.
Arla’s “Farmers Milk” will be sold in four-pint bottles of semi-skimmed and whole milk and will be priced at £1.20, costing an extra 25p compared to Asda branded milk.
The launch follows research showing that 63% of consumers said they would pay more for dairy products if they know the extra money goes back to farmers.
David Christensen, whose Oxfordshire farm produces 5,000,000 litres of milk for Arla a year, told the BBC: ‘It has been really tough over the last two years, supply and demand have really been out of balance.
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Meanwhile, a new report has revealed the number of United Kingdom family farms has halved since the turn of the century. During that period, milk prices fell by about 30per cent.
