5000 Dairy Farmers In The UK Could Be Out Of Business Within Five Years

The National Farmers’ Union is warning that up to 5000 dairy farmers could be out of business in the next five years, due to the ongoing row with supermarkets about the falling price of milk.

The UK farming unions staged an urgent summit yesterday to discuss problems facing the industry and particularly the crisis in the livestock and dairy sectors, where many farmers are facing financial devastation. This follows falling prices which mean many farmers are getting paid less than the cost of production.

Falling milk and lamb prices have left many farmers desperately worried about their future. In recent weeks there have been convoys of tractors carrying out rolling roadblocks on the A50 in Staffordshire and Derbyshire while hundreds of farmers have been demonstrating outside retailers’ depots and supermarkets.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “The situation many of our members are experiencing has become a crisis. In dairy, many milk producers have seen price cut after price cut. It’s simply not sustainable for any farmer to continue to produce milk if they’re selling it at a loss. The plight of many farmers has become desperately serious and with no sign that things will improve, we really need urgent action from retailers, the food service sector and processors to show commitment to British dairy farmers. I also want to see government agencies doing more to support the public procurement of British food.

For more info, click here for a recent ITV report and video.