Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to assist the dairy industry; and what discussions she has had with the devolved administrations on that matter.

The dairy sector is a vital part of the food and farming sector. Long term prospects are good but current prices are causing some of our farmers to struggle. Government is doing all it can to help during this difficult period. We are working with HMRC to allow farmers to access “Time to Pay” arrangements, urging banks to treat dairy farmers sympathetically, and giving the Groceries Code Adjudicator powers to fine retailers if necessary.

We want a competitive and resilient dairy industry that can take advantage of opportunities. We are helping the dairy industry to take advantage of opportunities such as opening new export markets and pushing for better country of origin labelling for British dairy products.

The Secretary of State chairs regular meetings with the Devolved Administrations (DAs) on issues of mutual interest. Defra officials maintain regular contact with their counterparts in the DAs on a range of dairy issues.

I discussed the current position in the dairy industry with colleagues from Devolved Administrations at an Agrifish Council of Ministers in Brussels on 16 March.