The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into dairy prices, following the recent rapid fall of farm-gate and dairy commodity prices.
Earlier this month, the Committee wrote to Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, seeking an urgent update on Defra’s actions to support the UK dairy industry. The Committee is today publishing her reply and seeking views on the adequacy of the Government’s actions to ensure our dairy farmers can continue to invest for the future at a time of volatile market prices.
Chair of the Committee, Miss Anne McIntosh MP, said: “Our Committee has taken a close interest in the dairy industry, publishing a report in 2011 with a series of recommendations for Government action.
"The Secretary of State’s letter reports that significant action has been taken to implement changes since then, but we wish to investigate a number of areas where further action could be taken. The Committee is therefore inviting interested parties to let us have their views on the best way to safeguard the UK dairy industry during the current global price downturn”.
NFU Chief Dairy Adviser, Sian Davies, said: “We are pleased to see that the government is taking the current dairy situation seriously and it is encouraging that the EFRA committee is looking into what more can be done, as well as the effectiveness of measures already in place to support the UK dairy industry.
"We will submit evidence to the enquiry on all topics requested in support of all our dairy members. It is vital that we continue to see tools made available to farmers to manage market volatility, as well as government support of British agriculture and increasingly fair and transparent supply chain practices”.