Dairy farmers across the UK are having to dump tens of thousands of gallons of milk due to a massive slump in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The closure of cafes and restaurants is wreaking havoc on the sector despite increased demand in supermarkets and food shops.
This has led to falling milk prices and delayed payments from processors.
Labour is calling on the government to do more to support the industry and help redirect milk to food retailers who are seeing an increased demand from families forced to stay at home.
Industry experts believe as many as 300 farmers have had to dispose of milk as the produce can no longer be stored.
With reduced milk collections many farmers are being forced to dump their produce because they have no way of storing it.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Clive Stickland, who filmed himself disposing of milk, told MailOnline: “I had to get rid of 4,200 gallons (16,000 litres) when I received an email saying there would be no collection. I did not have the storage capacity to keep the milk so it had to go.”
His 300 cows produce up to 1,800 gallons (8,000 litres) of milk each day and he has a scheduled collection by tanker every other day.
Like many dairy farmers Mr Stickland sells his milk to Freshways, the UK’s largest independent dairy distributor.
But Freshways, who supply hundreds of companies in the food service sector, including McDonalds, British Airways and P&0 cruises, has seen demand plummet.
As a response they have cut the price they pay dairy farmers and are delaying payment.
They are also reducing collection because of the fall in demand and due to sickness within their own workforce.
Daniel Zeichner, shadow farming minister, told the Mirror: “This crisis has been coming for weeks, with milk producer Freshways cutting the prices they pay and delaying payment.
“We all appreciate that the collapse of the food service sector has created major problems – but with the retail sector still struggling to supply consumers, it is extraordinary that the government has not taken swifter action to rebalance the situation.
“We were told that the problem was competition law – that was relaxed ten days ago, but clearly that hasn’t resolved the issue, not least because the industry needs copper-bottomed legal clarity. The British public will not welcome pictures of quality milk being dumped while they still struggle to get supplies: the Government needs to intervene now.”
A spokesman for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers said they had asked the Government to reimburse dairy farmers who are receiving a significantly reduced value or are having to dispose of their milk.
Peter Alvis, Chairman of RABD, said: ‘Removing the excess distressed milk from the market place will help to stabilise the current spot price without causing long-term market distortion.’
A Defra spokesperson said: ‘We have taken a number of measures to support our food and farming sectors to manage the impact of coronavirus on the dairy supply chain.
“We are also working very closely with farmer and processor representatives to understand the specific challenges that the dairy sector is facing.
