"The constant boom and bust dairy market cycle helps no-one, most of all farmers, who at the bottom of the supply chain are facing the biggest volatility risk. Over recent weeks here in the UK, and across the EU, we’ve seen record prices for cream and butter at wholesale and a buoyant market but farmgate prices have failed to keep up – a time lag we can understand but the lack of strong upward movement in farmgate milk price is extremely concerning."
"It’s no surprise that milk buyers are worried about milk volumes falling. Confidence within dairy farming is at an all-time low – mistrust in the market dynamics and suspicion about how milk buyers are treating their supply base, coupled with the lack of direction on the impact of Brexit on the dairy sector. Farmers have been receiving mixed messages, with warnings only a few months ago that there was too much milk."
"This is why the NFU is calling on Government in the first instance to regulate on the need for better market information – for collated data on milk volumes and traded prices for our main milk products. This should at least provide more trust in the market and allow farmers to better plan their production going forward."
"Ultimately, in order to get a sustainable milk supply, we need to get a sustainable milk price."