'British farmers should legally have to be paid at least the cost of production', new petition demands

Many British farmers are currently facing economic uncertainty due to unfair price returns
Many British farmers are currently facing economic uncertainty due to unfair price returns

A young farmers club member from Oxfordshire has created a petition on the official government website calling for farmers to be paid fairly.

Suzanne Cole, a member of the Faringdon Senior Young Farmers, created the petition to raise awareness about the plight currently facing many British farming businesses.

The petition explains that farming is 'one of the only industries in which businesses are paid less than the cost of production'.

It takes the dairy industry as an example, explaining the cost of producing a pint of milk.

"The cost of producing a pint of milk is between 25 - 33.5 pence per litre, yet the majority of British farmers are paid under 20 pence per litre," Suzanne Cole said.

She continued: "Since 2000, more than half of British dairy farms have closed down, reducing from over 28,000 to under 10,000, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down.

"Nearly one in 10 dairy farms across England and Wales have closed in the last three years.

"This doesn't just affect dairy farmers, there are forecasts that the income for many others are due to drop."

The petition needs over 10,000 signatures for an official government response, and over 100,000 for it to be debated in Parliament.