However, the overall volume of milk increased by 6pc last year, as farmers squeezed out more milk from their remaining herd. Defra said that farmers also benefitted from lower feed costs, reflecting a decline in the cost of wholesale cereal and soya.
Jenny Stevens, who owns Peak House Farm in Hampshire with her husband Mark, says running a dairy farm is no longer sustainable on its own and she also runs a small B&B on the land.
Her sons, who are 21 and 15, help run the 140-acre farm that is home to 100 dairy cows. She couldn’t afford to hire full-time workers to milk the cows.
“We’re not making any money. The price at which we have to break even keeps falling. It’s not always been this bad. People ask, ‘why do you do this’? But it’s what our boys want to do. We’re looking into making yoghurt and other dairy products,” she said.
Campaigners have argued the dairy industry is facing a «bloodbath» as major buyers continue to drop the price they are willing to pay for milk.
“With no sign of a market upturn in coming months we will inevitably see a large number of dairy farmers leave the industry. No-one can continue to produce milk at a loss,» said Rob Harrison of the National Farmers’ Union.
| Farm type | Income | Income change |
|---|---|---|
| Poultry | £145,000 | Up 14% |
| Dairy | £46,500 | Down 45% |
| General cropping | £43,000 | Down 17% |
| Cereals | £34,000 | Down 24% |
| Pigs | £26,500 | Down 46% |
It’s not only dairy farmers that have seen their incomes plummet. Cereal farmers have been hit by a surge in global production and a strong pound, causing their income to drop 24pc to £34,000. Farms in general cropping recorded a 17pc fall in income to £43,000, as wheat and sugar output fell.
However. it has been a better year for poultry farmers, whose farms generated around £145,000 last year, a 14pc rise, partly due to lower feeding and heating costs.
Source: Telegraph
