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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on tackling the difference between the cost of milk production and the price paid for milk.

We want all milk producers to get a fair price for their produce and are committed to tackling the unfairness that can exist in the dairy supply chain.

Through the Government’s Agriculture Bill, introduced on 12 September, we will launch a range of initiatives to improve the position of milk producers. We will introduce and enforce statutory codes of practice to address unfair trading practices which can occur between milk producers and purchasers.

We remain committed to a full consultation on dairy contracts to take account of the range of stakeholder views. We have worked closely with officials in all Devolved Administrations to develop this consultation and are committed to creating a statutory code that is sustainable and effective in each nation.