WFU ‘Save our Moos’ petition handed into 10 Downing Street

The petition asked for a fair price for UK milk producers, above the cost of production, to secure a continued supply of this important commodity. It included over 4,000 signatures from the general public worried about the loss of UK dairy farms and less fresh British milk on supermarket shelves.

"We welcome the increase in the price of milk in the shop but it is still not enough to guarantee the continued presence of a dairy sector in the UK," said petition organiser and WFU Cheshire chairman Rosemary Lomas. "Our campaign has highlighted that without a sustainable farm-gate price for milk the UK dairy industry would disappear, and then where would our milk come from? It cannot be right to import food from across the world, increasing carbon emissions and adding to congestion when food can be produced safely and efficiently on our doorstep."

The signatures were collected by WFU Cheshire at agricultural and food fairs as part of WFU Cheshire's 'Save our Moos' campaign. The general public were genuinely shocked that there are now only 12,500 dairy farmers left in the UK to provide milk for over 60 million people, down from 31,000 in 1997.

Three farmers are leaving our industry every day, unable to make a living because of the extremely low milk price. The average age of the British dairy farmer is 58 years as the industry is too cash-starved to attract young people into dairying.