The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has submitted vital evidence to the Government highlighting the negative impact restrictions on access to foreign labour could have on UK dairy farms post-2021.

The Association, who has led the issue of foreign labour on dairy farms for almost a decade, put forward their case on Friday (24 April) to the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) Inquiry into Labour in the Food Supply Chain.

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.

The Scottish Government has asked Lantra Scotland to set-up and operate a skills matching service to help fill any shortages in the rural and animal welfare workforce in Scotland that may arise during the Covid-19 crisis.

Dairy farmers not registered as a raw drinking milk producer should not give away or sell raw milk straight from the tank, warns the Food Standards Agency.

It is illegal to sell or give away raw milk and cream free of charge if you are not registered to do so.

The warning comes as some dairy farmers may be asked by friends and neighbours if they can buy milk straight from the tank, with some supermarkets still seeing milk shortages on the shelves.

1. Why are farmers having to dispose of milk?

Dairy farmers supply their fresh milk to processors who process or manufacture the milk into usable consumer products or as an ingredient for other products. The processors then sell their products to various outlets such as supermarkets, cafes and hotels.

It is the closure of restaurants, cafes and other catering outlets, known as the food service sector, as a result of Government measures brought in to control Covid19, that has resulted in a reduction in the demand for milk and dairy products.

All the dairy representatives from UK unions held a conference call this morning to look at and consider possible solutions to the current difficulties the UK dairy sector is experiencing.

The RABDF is urging farmers to check their contact details are correct on websites such as the RPA and Cattle Tracing System (CTS), following the temporary closure of offices due to coronavirus.