Why Dairy Farming Matters - The Facts
UK - Why Dairy Farming Matters is the latest strand of the NFU's Why Farming Matters campaign. The NFU's mission is to champion British farming, and this latest campaign has been launched to show how important dairy farming is to Britain's economy, environment, local communities and consumers.
17 April 2007
2 minute read
Why Dairy Farming Matters to the economy:
The total turnover of the British dairy industry is £6 billion, around 10% of total food and manufacturing output. 50,000 farmers and farm workers are employed on dairy farms in the UK. 34,000 more people work in the milk industry driving tankers, pasteurising milk and packing and distributing dairy products.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to the countryside and environment:
Dairy cattle grazing in fields are an important feature of the British countryside, one of our greatest national treasures, attracting one billion day trips a year. Grazing animals are important to the vegetation structure of pasture land through their selective grazing, trampling and manure. There are 500,000 km of hedgerows in England and Wales and farmers are devoting more time to maintain them than ever before.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to local communities
Food and drink is considered one of the main factors in defining regional identity. Dairy farms provide employment for local communities. A recent study across England and Wales showed that 75% of parish councils had at least one farmer member.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to the consumer:
UK dairy farmers produce some ten billion pints of milk, over 400,000 tonnes of cheese and 135,000 tonnes of butter every year. British dairy products are produced to world-leading standards of animal health, welfare and food safety. The industry has responded to changes in consumer tastes, and now produces over 700 different types of cheese, many of which are 'artisan' farmhouse cheeses.
Download the Why Dairy Farming Matters leaflet by clicking here.TheCattleSite News Desk
