Herefordshire dairy seeks £47k lifeline after losing 25-year milk contract

A Herefordshire organic dairy is seeking public backing to build its own milk processing operation after losing the buyer that had collected its milk for 25 years.

Wicton Farm, home to Wild Cow Dairy, is trying to raise £47,000 to bottle and process its milk on site, saying the move would allow the business to remain independent.

The farm said it had been left with a stark choice after its buyer ended the agreement: stop dairy farming or process and sell all of its milk itself.

It said the business had been considered too small, with its “values and farming methods no longer fitting [with] the industrial dairy model”.

Wicton Farm has a herd of 50 cows, which are 100% grass-fed and milked once a day.

The farm said the cows live “a slower, more natural lifestyle”, with calves staying with their mothers.

It describes itself as “a certified organic, antibiotic-free farm working with nature to help create a healthier and more secure local food system”.

The farm has now launched a fundraising campaign to adapt the business and continue operating independently.

It has set a deadline of 1 August to raise the £47,000, with the aim of completing the project by Christmas 2026.

Under the plans, Wicton Farm would create a dedicated milk processing space, allowing it to bottle and sell raw and pasteurised milk.

It would also make artisan cheese and yoghurt, and develop new dairy products.

“By processing all our milk ourselves, we can remain independent, sustainable, and deeply connected to the people we feed,” the farm said.

The project would also see the farm move away from relying on a milk tanker collection and create a dedicated on-farm collection hub for customers.

The money would support improvements to cow housing during winter.

Wicton Farm said it wanted to replace existing metal cubicle beds with a larger deep-bedded straw resting area.

Claire Howlett, a partner in the farm, said the team wanted to raise awareness of what they were trying to achieve.

Wicton Farm said the business also supported people who had come to the farm through different routes, including refugees, local apprentices with learning differences, volunteers, friends and family members.

The farm said it remained committed to showing that small farms still had an important place in the future of food production.

“We are practical, hard-working people who believe small farms still have an important role in the future,” the farm said.

“We are fully committed to making this vision a reality.”

It said the campaign was not only about keeping one dairy farm going, but about supporting a different model for local food.

“This is more than saving a farm,” the farm said.

“It is about proving that local communities can play a direct role in creating a healthier, more resilient food system for generations to come.”