It’s Edam shame – we’re running out of cheese Hello, is it Brie you’re looking for...

Farmers have warned that a shortage is inevitable thanks to the UK’s dwindling supply of milk — as well as Brexit.

So expect a surge in prices on the most popular varieties, like cheddar and mozzarella, at your local supermarket.

Rock- bottom milk prices have forced many dairy farmers to abandon their lossmaking herds.

And the falling value of the pound following the EU referendum has led to a surge in demand for British cheddar.

While liquid milk supplies are protected, those who manufacture products made from dairy are already feeling the strain, according to one of the UK’s top cheddar manufacturers.

“Cheesemakers are seeing milk supplies down by well over 10%,” Wyke Farms managing director Richard Clothier told The Grocer magazine.

“Supply disruption is inevitable and availability can no longer be taken for granted.”

Wholesale cheddar prices have risen by a staggering 31% in a year as a result of the shortages.

And Michael Oakes, chair of the National Farmers Union’s national dairy board, predicts we’re likely to see less – and more expensive – cheese on the supermarket shelves in the run up to Christmas.

“Farmers in the UK, for three years now, have seen the price of milk get lower and lower to the point where it’s below the cost of production,” he said.

“Most dairy farmers in the country are either borrowing more money or substituting their dairy business in order to carry on.

“Cheese

prices and butter prices have already started to escalate as production levels fall.

“I think we’ll definitely see less of these products on the shelves towards the end of the year, as there will definitely be less of these items being produced.

“And with Brexit and the weak pound, we’re less likely to import cheese into the UK.”

Dairy products like butter and cheese spread are also likely to be affected, according to industry experts.

Time to stock up on your favourite types of cheese, as they may be hard to find at your local supermarket.

Butter has reached a price of £ 3800 per tonne – the highest it has ever been.

Smaller independent cheesemakers are less likely to be i mp a c t e d by the s h o r t a g e, however.

Ja n e St e w a r t of the Fi n e Cheesemakers of Scotland association, which counts Highland Fine Cheeses, Dunlop Dairy and Barwheys as members, said she didn’t expect their members to struggle.

“Unlike larger suppliers we’ll likely be unaffected by this,” she explained.

“Most smaller cheesemakers keep their own herds of cows and so aren’t at the mercy of dairy shortages.”

■