Put profits first, farmers urged

Farmers are being encouraged to think about their profits as a new report reveals they could be at risk.

The latest Farm Business Income Forecast from Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has predicted a sharp decline in the profitability of farming across the UK.

The latest report produced by the department show an estimated 13 per cent fall in incomes for dairy farmers, who have already been badly affected by the falling milk price, a 23 per cent decline in profits for pig farms and a 12 per cent fall in the fortunes of poultry farmers.

In comparison the beef and sheep sector will see greater profitability, but only at low level, with income in these sectors expected to sit around £16,000.

These levels show that the UK farming sector is struggling to meet the changes in demand for produce and the poor prices on offer from suppliers.


But Paul Laird, Director and ARA specialist at The Fish Partnership is encouraging farmers to do more to make their businesses more profitable.

“Farming isn’t easy and I am not going to pretend there is a miracle cure, which can fix the industry in one go, but farmers can take steps to improve their viability,” he said.

“Every farm can reduce its costs and there are always aspects of a farm’s operations that can be streamlined and altered, but in order to do this farmers need to have a clear view of what is going on within their sector.”

He added that farmers needed to take advantage of the few things in the economy that could provide a boost to their profits, including the falling price of oil and drop in inflation.

Paul Laird added: “Now is the time to act, farmers can no longer sit in the dark and wait for the walls to come crashing down around them, they need to take action at a personal level to make the changes needed to move their business forward.”