World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to recognise the importance of milk as a global food, and to celebrate the dairy sector. On this day, we are taking the opportunity to raise awareness around the plight of dairy farmers and farming more broadly.
So, why is milk so important?
The benefits of dairy milk
Milk is a source of numerous nutrients, many of which we in the UK have been found to be deficient in. Dairy milk contains calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin (V2), vitamin B12, potassium, phosphorus and selenium – an impressive assortment! It is also considered to be a good source of Vitamin A, magnesium, zinc and thiamine (B1), as well as containing protein and many different fatty acids and omega-3s.
Whilst, naturally, the nutritional content will vary on factors such as the milk’s fat content, the diet of the cow and other things, it is considered a nutrient dense produce and one that we know can significantly benefit our bone health, with some studies linking milk and dairy to a lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Dairy milk has also been claimed to be beneficial for weight management, diabetes, and heart health.
So, we know that dairy milk is rich with nutrients and can be a beneficial addition to our diet, arguably, even an important one – now we look at some of the recent challenges the dairy industry is facing.
Milk production and issues the dairy industry is facing
At the end of 2021, Farming UK painted a positive picture for the dairy market, suggesting that the growing global demand for dairy products represented a huge opportunity for our dairy farmers here in the UK. Read more here.
Whilst this opportunity may still remain, the farming sector is suffering from the considerable rises in input costs, with feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs all having seen huge increases in recent months due to various factors, including lasting implications from the pandemic, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and inflation.
In March, we saw Ash Amirahmadi, Managing Director of Arla Foods, quoted in The Times, ahead of Arla’s later announcement of a milk price increase to 43.3p/litre from 1st May: “We are calling time on cheap milk”. Amirahmadi noted that whilst consumer prices have increased 26% over the last 10 years, milk prices have dropped a staggering 7% in that same time. This call to end ‘cheap milk’ came in the same month that Farmer’s Weekly reported that breakeven milk prices were rising at such a rate that they would exceed 40p/litre later on in 2022.
At the beginning of May, we saw Farming UK report on the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ (FUW) call for farmgate milk prices to rise, to combat the unsustainable input costs being seen. And we did see other increases in May, with Tesco and Muller also confirming increases in milk prices – 40.84p/litre and 40p/litre, respectively.
Later on in May, Farmer’s Weekly reported that, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), ‘milk price increases averaged 3.7p per litre’ throughout the first quarter of 2022, with milk processors and sellers looking to support the farming sector as they struggle with the increase in input costs discussed above.
Patty Clayton, lead analyst at the ADHB suggested that milk price changes may be being ‘fast-tracked’ by buyers in order to aid farmers’ cashflow, to help prevent any more reductions in production. Notably, in April, The Grocer reported that the AHDB found that milk production could drop by as much as 5.3% over the coming year based upon the rising costs (and lack of availability, in some cases) of the required inputs and the impact this could have on dairy farming.
Clearly, the farming industry as a whole is under a great deal of pressure, and whilst we have seen milk prices increase through 2022 so far, this remains a turbulent and challenging time for the industry.
How can we support dairy farmers?
Buy local milk and dairy products. Consumers buying directly from farm allows dairy farmers to obtain a fairer price for their produce; Farmer’s Weekly have a ‘Milk Map’ that allows you to see where you can purchase directly from the farmer.
There are some great businesses online now too who will deliver local milk (and other products) to your door, bringing back the old-fashioned notion of milk men and women and making buying local produce that bit easier. See the work The Modern Milkman has been carrying out here.
Here’s to World Milk Day and fairer prices for our farmers!
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296564#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/5/2/131/4557960?login=true
https://milklife.com/articles/nutrition/why-you-should-drink-milk-good-health
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/milk-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
