Dairy farmers quitting the industry in high numbers.

frederick

Member
Location
south west
No not you, but then I don't think you appreciate what others have to go through, you appear to be on a different planet (you and a few others) you'd be better named lucky rather than lazy, and yes to some extent you make your own luck, but some are dealt a hell of a lot more shite than others.
What this thread actually means is that a lot of farmers are finally realising they don't have to go through it and there are more sensible options for them than dairying.

Ahdb are currently predicting only a 1% decline for the next year in milk output but do accept it's one of the hardest years to predict.
 

jerseycowsman

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cornwall
Where will the Milk come from going forwards?

In my own very local area 3 dairy farms have gone or are about to sell the herd in the last 12 months, all three have been driven out by the low returns for the amount of work and/or the investment needed to carry on milking not being worthwhile for the work/ returns from milking cows.

One herd the owner would be around the 50 year old age with family coming on.

One farm is mostly going into stewardship/ low input sheep farming, another a mix of that and beef farming with some rented out and the other most of it is going under the plough for crops to feed a local AD plant...

Where is the milk/ beef calves going to come from if this rate of exodus from the industry carry's on??

Very sad to see such well run farms/ well looked after dairy herds being forced out of the industry after decades/ generations of milking cows.
I’ve gotta keep going, there’s no other way I can pay the mortgage apart from milking cows.
I do like it and think I would soon get very bored doing a normal job, but I also do think why the hell do I bother sometimes as well, especially after a pen pusher has just tried to tell you what your doing is wrong, or killing the planet and all that
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
our buildings are old, we have put up new housing, but everything else is 'tired'
tenancy is nearing the end, though we have an option to purchase. Land around here is probably close to £18,000, due to fierce competition. I can see little business sense in paying that amount, to buy the farm, to hope the dairy herd, would produce enough cash, to cover the mortgage. On top of that, RT will 'condemn' our buildings, so another big bill to add on.
I have other 'options', but looking at the farm side, it doesn't add up, however much we would want to. And l have little doubt many face these decisions, or similar.
what will be, will be, and we will have to play the hand, we have been dealt.
But investing large sums ? Not a chance, unless we can control the circumstances.
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
One farm is mostly going into stewardship/ low input sheep farming, another a mix of that and beef farming with some rented out and the other most of it is going under the plough for crops to feed a local AD plant...
Oh, the irony....

The emissions involved in ploughing out long term grass are crazy. The net emissions of crop fed AD can be poor.

The devil is in the detail but current policy doesn't "do" robust detail, just sound bites...

AD recycling waste on a working dairy is a real positive though...
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Oh, the irony....

The emissions involved in ploughing out long term grass are crazy. The net emissions of crop fed AD can be poor.

The devil is in the detail but current policy doesn't "do" robust detail, just sound bites...

AD recycling waste on a working dairy is a real positive though...
current policy, is all about 'looking good'. the fact that most of that policy is utter crap, makes no difference, it looks, and sounds good.
Drax, which is meant to be a 'green' power station, imports its wood from Canada, but claims to be green, it is, it burns a renewable source, if that wood, came from the UK, it might be, imported no.
Climate change policy consists of random sound bites, that when joined together, are impractical to achieve, but don't worry, they sound great.
 
Location
East Mids
We won't be far behind. Small herd, mainly old buildings, no successors, old farmhouse that needs a fortune spending on it. Looking forward to a 'normal' life when we can do 'normal' things like go out for a pub lunch or to visit family/friends and not have to think about getting back for milking.

But locally, other larger farmers are also going out. Fed up with the endless legislation, red tractor, pressure from dairy to produce more as they are short of milk (now,) pressure from dairy to produce less as they have too much milk (previously), TB, keeping abreast of ELMS etc, farming rules for water, finding staff, vegans, climate change, walkers/dogs, being told that next year they will have to pay for beef farmers to take their calves.....

After years of dairy farmers warning that they will walk unless it is more worth their while, the worms are turning.
 
g
No not you, but then I don't think you appreciate what others have to go through, you appear to be on a different planet (you and a few others) you'd be better named lucky rather than lazy, and yes to some extent you make your own luck, but some are dealt a hell of a lot more shite than others.
don’t believe in luck.
I believe in myself(sometimes)
The 80/20 rule.
taking responsibility for what I can control and not worrying about what I can’t.
 

nonemouse

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North yorks
It isn’t just the dairy farmers though, locally we had a lot of small pig breeder/fattener units since the nineties they have been getting less and this last year has about broken the remaining ones, some still have pigs but just b&b fattening now
 

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
Presumably the only way to avoid the clutches of the Red Tractor mafia and their cartel masters is to sell direct. Will there be a niche created by milk shortages and increased prices in the supermarkets for micro dairies with the surplus from fresh milk sales made into ice cream yoghurt or cheese and sold locally. Complying with basic food hygiene legislation is a lot less hassle than RT.
Cows have not been mailed here for 50 years but if my sons were interested I would support them in that kind of venture.
 

kfpben

Member
Location
Mid Hampshire
Presumably the only way to avoid the clutches of the Red Tractor mafia and their cartel masters is to sell direct. Will there be a niche created by milk shortages and increased prices in the supermarkets for micro dairies with the surplus from fresh milk sales made into ice cream yoghurt or cheese and sold locally. Complying with basic food hygiene legislation is a lot less hassle than RT.
Cows have not been mailed here for 50 years but if my sons were interested I would support them in that kind of venture.
A couple of those have started in Hampshire recently. One milking Freisians and selling direct, the other Guernseys.
Probably a decent enough way to make a living, but hard to upscale.
 

Tim G

Member
Livestock Farmer
Presumably the only way to avoid the clutches of the Red Tractor mafia and their cartel masters is to sell direct. Will there be a niche created by milk shortages and increased prices in the supermarkets for micro dairies with the surplus from fresh milk sales made into ice cream yoghurt or cheese and sold locally. Complying with basic food hygiene legislation is a lot less hassle than RT.
Cows have not been mailed here for 50 years but if my sons were interested I would support them in that kind of venture.
An awful lot of work and capital to do it. And more legislation.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.3%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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