Milk Prices To Blame As Welsh Farmers Income Drops £44m
WALES - Supermarkets were facing further calls to pay a fair price for their milk, after new figures showed Welsh farmers had suffered a massive 29 per cent decline in incomes in 2006 on the back of falling milk prices.
12 April 2007
1 minute read
Total income from Welsh farming fell by approximately £44m (29 per cent) in 2006, estimated figures that cover aggregate agricultural output and income show.
The figures, published by the Welsh Assembly on Wednesday (April 11), showed the major cause was milk price. The value of milk and milk products fell by £23.9m during the year, while poultry and finished lamb prices also fell. It was not all doom and gloom as finished cattle output rose.
At the same time, rising fuel prices were the major factor in a big hike in input costs, meaning margins on many Welsh farms have been squeezed from both ends.
The figures are particularly galling for Welsh farmers as figures released in January showed a healthy 7 per cent rise in incomes across the UK.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales expressed disappointment at what has happened on Welsh farms said the fall in income was further evidence of the need for supermarkets to demonstrate some ‘social responsibility’.
