Saudi sanctions on Qatar give British dairy farmers a new lease of life

 Britain’s struggling diary farmers could be saved by demand for milk in Qatar.

Milk from cows on farms in the Midlands is being transported 3,000 miles to the Gulf state which is facing sanctions imposed by four neighbouring countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the BBC, Ricky Perks, of Birmingham milk exporter Y International, said: “Qatar used to get all its milk from Saudi [Arabia] and literally one day, they just turned the tap off.

“Milk is heavy so it costs a lot of money.”

It takes four days for the milk to arrive in the Middle East, where scarcity means a two-litre carton of milk which would cost less than £2 in the UK is selling for more than £5 in Qatar.

British producers claim that “sales are going up and up every week”.

The milk – which arrives in liquid rather than powdered form – is a business boost for dairy farmers who say they are getting a guaranteed price.

The new trade comes as millions of consumers in Britain are ditching traditionally popular cow’s milk for non-dairy versions such as almond and coconut.

The trend has left producers in the UK desperate for new business.

Milk sales fell by around £240million between 2014 and 2016 according to data compiled by The Grocer magazine.

Meanwhile, soya milk, rice milk and almond milk were this year included in the Office for National Statistics’ “typical basket of goods” list for the first time.