It is a vital addition to any family breakfast table – not to mention that cup of tea, coffee or latte.
But Britain could soon run short of milk, experts have warned today.
The white stuff’s dire status has been blamed on a slump in production plus the exodus of half of Wales’ dairy farmers in the past decade. And it could even threaten our cheese.
Mansel Raymond is a Pembrokeshire dairy farmer who chairs NFU Cymru’s Milk Board and is a director of the farmers’ cooperative First Milk.
He said UK production would struggle this year to reach the 13 billion litres needed for liquid milk, cheese and other value-added products.
“We are in danger of slipping below our dairy needs, particularly in the trough period between now and December,” said Mr Raymond as farmers gathered yesterday for the annual Welsh Dairy Show in Carmarthen.
“How far do we have to carry on until we find we are suddenly short of milk for basic products in this country?”
Mr Raymond said the number of dairy farmers in Wales had dropped from 4,270 in 1998 to its present level of 2,143 as they abandoned the industry in the face of uneconomic returns and rising costs.
Creameries could close if the decline continues, he said.
“There’s a parallel with the pig industry, which has been through hell for the past 10 years,” he said.
“We are no longer self-sufficient in pork products like we were 10 to 15 years ago and the dairy industry is sliding down the same path.”
He said 80% of Welsh milk is processed into cheese and there had been solid investment in cheese factories, much of it aided by Welsh Assembly Government grants.
“If we carry on down this track I can see plant closures in Wales, and even more likely in England,” he said.
Mr Raymond’s warning follows one of the worst summers on record with difficult harvest conditions. The result is poor quality fodder and cows needing extra rations – an added burden when feed, fertiliser and fuel prices have soared.
Farmers are currently paid an average of around 27p a litre for their milk, but Mr Raymond said costs have risen by around 3p a litre in the past six months and farmers needed an extra 3p a litre to invest in an industry that has seen no significant on-farm investment for 10 years.
Food consultants Kite forecast UK milk production at 12.96 billion litres this year, around 220 million litres less than 2007, when there was a record fall of 313 million.
“The fall in production this year will lead to a shortage of half a million litres per day in the trough months of October and November,” said Kite consultant Neil Blackburn.
NFU President Dai Davies, a dairy farmer from St Clears, said farmers need long-term security to stay in milk.
“Otherwise I’m afraid we will continue to see a dramatic reduction in the number of dairy producers in Wales and we will lose critical mass,” he said.
FUW vice-president Brian Walters, who runs an organic dairy farm in Carmarthenshire, said a report on dairy supply chain margins concluded that many farmers are being short-changed by tens of thousands of pounds at a time of rapidly rising costs.
“Consumers need to know whether hikes in prices at the till are being passed on to the primary producer or whether they are lining the pockets of fat cats,” said Mr Walters.
Mr Raymond said Tesco had led the way among supermarkets by establishing dedicated supply chains, which brought greater transparency and accountability and a relationship of trust.
He called for other retailers to follow suit and for the principles to be extended into cheese.
“I believe that the public genuinely want to support British and Welsh farmers in order to stop the crisis facing domestic milk production and the mass exodus of farmers from the dairy industry.
“They are also becoming increasingly aware of the threat that global food shortages represent for the UK.
“Little do consumers know that supermarket margins on liquid milk rose by 2,700% in the 10 years leading up to 2007, whilst during the same period the farmer’s margin fell by 5%.”
Steve Dube, Western Mail
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