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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of dairy farmers in the last ten years.

Information relating to the question on the number of UK dairy producers can be found publicly available here: (Livestock populations in the UK, Latest UK milk prices and composition of milk, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, Results by size of Farm in the UK)

From 2021 to 2023, data on the milk production-to-supply ratio showed a stable trend, consistently remaining at 105%. This indicates the UK produces a milk surplus, exceeding domestic consumption needs. The production-to-supply ratio is generally understood as a broad measure of national self-sufficiency, indicating the ability of UK agriculture to meet consumer demand. We lack detailed farm type and labour data for the UK, however, hold this for England. While not all dairy herds are on these holdings, the majority are. Over the last decade (2014 – 2023), the number of dairy farm holdings in England decreased by 24%, while the number of agricultural workers on holdings classified as dairy farm type decreased by 15%. Although production of milk in the UK has increased in the last decade, the number of UK producers and employment on English dairy farms has fallen.

Defra Officials Statistics: Agriculture in the UK 2023 Chapter 14: The food chain

Defra Officials Statistics: Numbers of holdings and agricultural activity by farm type at 1 June each year in England