Why Dairy Farming Matters - The Facts
UK - The NFU has teamed up with EBLEX to launch the new campaign 'Why Farming Matters.' Co-inciding with the campaign a further report has been released that focuses on the trials and benefits of the dairy industry. A link to the report is provided below.Why Dairy Farming Matters to the economy:
- The total turnover of the British dairy industry is £6 billion, around 10% of total food and manufacturing output.
- 50,000 farmers and farm workers are employed on dairy farms in the UK.
- 34,000 more people work in the milk industry driving tankers, pasteurising milk and packing and distributing dairy products.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to the countryside and environment:
- Dairy cattle grazing in fields are an important feature of the British countryside, one of our greatest national treasures, attracting one billion day trips a year.
- Grazing animals are important to the vegetation structure of pasture land through their selective grazing, trampling and manure.
- There are 500,000 km of hedgerows in England and Wales and farmers are devoting more time to maintain them than ever before.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to local communities
- Food and drink is considered one of the main factors in defining regional identity.
- Dairy farms provide employment for local communities.
- A recent study across England and Wales showed that 75% of parish councils had at least one farmer member.
Why Dairy Farming Matters to the consumer:
- UK dairy farmers produce some ten billion pints of milk, over 400,000 tonnes of cheese and 135,000 tonnes of butter every year.
- British dairy products are produced to world-leading standards of animal health, welfare and food safety.
- The industry has responded to changes in consumer tastes, and now produces over 700 different types of cheese, many of which are 'artisan' farmhouse cheeses.
Further Reading
- Download the Why Dairy Farming Matters leaflet by clicking here. |
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