19 February 2016, 09:51 AM
  • Around five British farms are closing each week and this rate is expected to rise, according to the Royal Association of Dairy Farmers
Fifth of Dairy Farms May Cease Operations in 2016

As the debt of dairy farmers reaches crisis levels, many farmers are having to close their farms.

According to the National Farmers Union (NFU), some dairy farmers are working at a loss as they are being paid 19 pence per litre of milk which takes 28 pence to produce.

Today there are 10,500 dairy farms in the UK, half the number there was a decade ago.

Rob Harrison, chairman of NFU and dairy farmer told The Telegraph, “We’re expecting an awful lot to exit the industry by the end of this year, when lots of farmers will have eaten up their savings.

“Last year the figure was 4 per cent, but the expectation is more will exit this year, whether it’s 10 per cent or 20 per cent.”