One in five dairy farms in Britain could close this year

Tanveer Mann

The number of dairy farms in Britain have plummeted to 10,500 in the last ten years (Picture: Getty)

As many as one in five dairy farms in the UK could be forced to close this year as farmers’ debt reaches crisis levels.
The number of dairy farms in Britain have plummeted to 10,500 compared to the 21,000 that existed 10 years ago.

Farmers are being paid as little as 19p for a litre of milk, which costs 28p to produce, so they are operating at a loss, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU).

Farmers are being paid as little as 19p to produce a litre of milk (Picture: Getty)

This has left many farmers facing the painful decision to pack it all in despite being in the industry for many generations.
The organisers chairman, Rob Harrison, who also runs his own dairy farm, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘We’re expecting an awful lot to exit the industry by the end of this year, when lots of farmers will have eaten up their savings.
‘Last year the figure was 4 per cent, but the expectation is more will exit this year, whether it’s 10 per cent or 20 per cent.’

Farmers are being forced to close down due to falling milk prices and rising debt (Picture: Getty)

According to the Royal Association of Dairy Farmers, farms are currently closing at the rate of around 5 a week, and this is expected to rise.
Nick Adames, owner of Black Barn Farm in West Sussex, said his family have been milking cows since 1895 and the situation has never been as bad as it is now.
In December, he only received 20p for a litre of milk, which was down from 27p the year before and 32p in 2013.

How you can help as a consumer

• Buy British – It may sound simple but buying dairy produce that isn’t produced abroad can make a huge difference.

• Look for the Red Tractor Logo – The circular logo featuring a red tractor with blue wheels over a Union Flag tells you that the product is from a British farm.

• Not just milk – It helps to buy British cheese, butter, yoghurt, cream and custard too.

• Choose where you shop – The Co-operative, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose are paying farmers an increasingly fair and transparent price for milk, the National Farmers Union says.

He told the paper: ‘No other industry would continue on this basis of profitability, and it’s only because we are dealing with livestock that we don’t want to have slaughtered.
‘But as feed stocks run down and have to be grown and replaced, many will simply get out.

‘Once the banks lose faith in us being able to pay them back, you will see a huge exodus’.
Almost a third of all farmers who sold their farms last year said debt as one of their key reasons for leaving the industry, according to figures from property group Savills.