Gap Widens Between Large and Small Milk Producers
UK - Just one quarter of Britain's dairy farmers now produce over half the national milk volume.
31 December 2008
1 minute read
In 2007/08, just under 4,000 producers each supplied more than one million litres, which came to around 57 per cent of total production, reports Farmers Guardian. Some 84 dairy farmers produced more than four million litres each and 703 produced between two and four million litres.
The analysis of milk production data for the year 2007/8 by DairyCo shows the production gap between larger and smaller producers is growing.
In 2004/05, for example, 21 per cent of farmers each produced over one million litres – 48 per cent of the total milk volume.
Huw Thomas, head of DairyCo market intelligence, says the figures suggest it is the larger farms that are expanding. The number of British dairy farmers producing over two million litres of milk has increased by 30 per cent since 2004.
