The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) is urging producers affected by the COVID-19 milk crisis to submit an online daily account of their losses after the Government calls for data on the severity of the issue in the UK.
During a roundtable industry meeting last week (15th April), Defra requested ‘accurate and credible supportive data’ to back up the industry’s claims for support.
By completing this survey, the RABDF, who are working with the farming unions and other industry organisations, will be able to produce a daily report for the industry and government. This will highlight the severity of the situation and the speed at which it is changing.
RABDF chairman Peter Alvis said: “The situation in the dairy industry is constantly evolving, with different processors and farmers affected each day.
“It is important, as an industry, we have a firm understanding of the situation, how many producers are affected and the level at which they are affected.
“Friday’s (17th April) announcement by Government that the competition rules are being relaxed is a step in helping the industry work together and identifying how surplus milk in the supply chain can be rerouted. This survey will help that effort by building a clear picture of how many farmers are affected and the best options for dealing with oversupply.”
Mr Alvis added: “If there is still an issue the industry is unable to solve then as a sector, we must be able to demonstrate clearly to Government how big the problem is and where the issues lie.”
Dairy UK and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) are also working on identifying spare processing capacity, looking at how to stimulate demand and how production can be temporarily reduced.
The RABDF is urging every producer who has been affected to fill out the short 2-minute survey each day. The survey can be accessed at https://www.rabdf.co.uk/survey