Dairy UK says resilient processing is vital to food security, rural economies and the wider UK economy
Dairy processors handling around 15 billion litres of milk a year should be treated as critical national infrastructure because disruption could threaten the UK food supply, Dairy UK has argued.
The industry body says raw milk cannot be practically stockpiled and depends on continuous collection, processing, energy and logistics.
That makes the sector particularly vulnerable to disruption, with farms, processors, transport networks and customers all relying on the system operating without major interruption.
The call is set out in a new White Paper, Securing the UK’s Dairy Future: The Strategic Role of Dairy Processing in UK Food Security, Sustainability and Growth, launched at the Dairy UK Annual Dinner on 23 September.
Dairy UK argues that processing should receive greater recognition in government and policy discussions because of its role in food and nutritional security, employment, rural economies and the wider UK economy.
Its members collect and process around 15 billion litres of milk each year, turning a highly perishable raw material into products consumed in the UK and exported overseas.
The organisation said maintaining a resilient processing base would require continued investment in modern manufacturing capacity, energy systems, food safety, technology and decarbonisation.
Both UK-owned and international businesses have invested heavily in dairy processing, but Dairy UK said further long-term investment would depend on a stable, predictable and competitive policy environment.
Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK, said: “Dairy processing is an integral part of British agriculture and an essential part of the infrastructure that turns the milk produced on our farms into food for millions of people every day.”
She said farming and processing were closely linked and depended on each other to remain resilient.
“Our message is a simple one: every part of the dairy value chain matters. Farmers need strong and resilient processors, processors need strong and resilient farmers, and the country depends on both.”
Dairy UK said future investment would be needed across processing sites, staff, technology and sustainability measures.
Dr Bryans said processors had already committed significant sums to the UK but needed greater confidence in the policy environment before making further long-term investments.
She added that dairy processing should be considered strategically in the same way as other sectors regarded as essential to everyday life and national resilience.
“Dairy processing should be viewed in the same way within governmental and policy discussions.”
Dairy UK said the sector’s importance to food supply, jobs and rural economies meant resilience in processing should be treated as a national concern.
The material released alongside the White Paper does not set out a specific legal designation or package of protections being sought, but calls for dairy processing to be given greater strategic recognition by government.