Cumbria sees drop in number of dairy farms as many struggle to keep going

The number of dairy farms in Cumbria has dropped by more than three hundred in the last ten years, with the last year alone seeing 17 Cumbrian farms close.

There are currently 784 dairy farms left in Cumbria, compared to 1,089 ten years ago.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said many local dairy farmers face the prospect of significant losses and debts, and more farms will close unless the government acts now.

"Dairy farmers face a volatile world market, but the government should be doing more to support them at this difficult time.

"The government should be doing more to ensure fairness in the supply chain – I have called for the Groceries Code Adjudicator’s remit to be extended so that dairy farmers can get a better deal in their negotiations with processors and supermarkets."

The NFU added that many dairy farms are running at a loss.

In 2014 most farmers were receiving around 32p a litre, now it is an average of 20p.

With milk prices severely reduced, the average dairy farm will lose £150,000 of income, from milk sales this year.

George Jamieson, NFU Scotland's Milk Policy Manager, said the vast majority of dairy farmers are struggling to keep going.

"We had thee peaks and three troughs since 2007. But for the farmers this has been the most extreme, going from 32p to well under 20p, and even 12p in the space of a year .The most worrying aspect about this current crisis is not just extent of that drop, but the duration.

"It started in 2014 and analysts are telling us we are unlikely to be out of it in 2017. That would be three years of declining or flat prices."

Falling prices, which have seen supermarkets selling milk cheaper than water, have left many farmers in a desperate situation with some losing up to 10p for each litre they sell.