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Over 1 million litres of milk has been discarded in UK in 2 weeks

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) have revealed that over 1 million litres of milk have been discarded in the UK since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

The drop in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic has meant milk was not collected on many farms over a number of weeks.

COVID-19 impact

The UK charity has been conducting a survey on the impact the virus has had on British dairy farmers and the interim data found that this amount of milk was discarded in just two weeks, from the 6th of April to the 20th. This includes both cow, sheep and goat dairy products.

This data has been sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to highlight the scale of the problem in the UK dairy industry. According to the survey, the worst affected areas include Dorset, Staffordshire, Kent and Co. Antrim.

RABDF chairman, Peter Alvis, said: “We continue to monitor the situation regarding the loss in value and all milk being discarded. There are about 2 million litres of milk a day, that have not found a home in the retail market. What our survey shows is the negative impact it is having on those farmers most severely affected.”

“It is imperative farmers continue submitting their information about the volume and value of milk lost so we can keep DEFRA informed of the size of the challenge this sector faces.

“We request DEFRA considers the seriousness of the situation and supports these farmers with a hardship payment. Any data we can continue feeding into DEFRA will only go to help this industry’s cause,” Mr Alvis concluded. 

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