Dairy farmers face ‘catastrophic failure’

DAIRY FARMERS have warned of an “almost catastrophic failure” within the sector if it loses access to European Union workers after Brexit.

A survey by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) revealed more than half of dairy farmers employ people from the EU, many in permanent, skilled roles, amid difficulty recruiting British employees. The reliance on EU labour means the sector needs to maintain access to workers from European countries in the short to medium term, a report by the RABDF presented to the Environment Department (Defra) said. The need for labour on dairy farms must be considered within Brexit negotiations and migration targets.

Measures to secure continued access to European labour must be in place to avoid hitting the economic viability of the sector, UK food security and animal health and welfare, the association urged.

A survey by YouGov for the RABDF of 2,000 UK adults revealed just four per cent were willing to do jobs that include all the main features of working on a dairy farm, such as working outside, with animals and machinery, doing flexible hours and in rural locations.

RABDF policy director Tim Brigstocke said reliance on EU labour would mean an almost catastrophic failure within the sector should short-term access to overseas workers not be maintained.

A Government spokesman said: “The Government places great value on the UK’s food and farming industries, not least the dairy sector, which is worth £4.6bn to the UK economy.”