Sussex dairy farmers pour away thousands of litres of milk as demand plummets during lockdown

Sussex dairy farmers have poured away thousands of litres of unwanted milk after a plummet in demand.
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The coronavirus lockdown brought the closure of hospitality businesses like cafés and restaurants – major buyers of local milk. Another, Gatwick Airport, has seen a huge downturn in activity.

But while demand may have dried up the milk has not, as cows enter the spring calving season producing milk at a higher rate than ever.

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Caroline and David Harriott have contract farmed Tolmare Farm in Findon for the last three years, with a herd of 200 cows among their livestock.

Caroline Harriott SUS-201105-143024001Caroline Harriott SUS-201105-143024001
Caroline Harriott SUS-201105-143024001

Milk can only be held for a maximum of two days, Caroline said, after which it must be disposed of to make room for the next batch. If it is not bought, that is up to 6,000 litres of milk every day, along with her profits, down the drain. “Smaller, natural farms like ours, it’s not a money-making business,” said Caroline. “We do it because we love the animals and we love what we do. But the reopening of cafés, restaurants and other businesses will be a trickle, and the problem is we can’t trickle our milk.”

Other businesses may be able to furlough staff, cut costs and try to weather the coronavirus storm, but dairy farmers have had their revenue slashed with almost no reduction in their costs.

Last week, the Government announced a support package of up to £10,000 for farmers who had lost more than 25 per cent of their income in April and May.

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A £1million marketing campaign has also been announced, aimed at encouraging households to buy more milk and support the industry.

Although suppliers to supermarkets have fared better, the overall decrease in demand has seen dairy prices tumble, as farmers seek to bring in revenue.

Caroline said falling prices could lead to small, local farms operating at a loss even after lockdown measures are eased, tipping some farmers ‘over the edge’.

Stockists could look abroad for their milk – lowering quality and increasing emissions – or lead to the much larger herds seen in other countries, along with the environmental damage associated with sustaining up to 1,000 cows at a time.

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The Government support package could help farmers get through the next few months, but Caroline said dairy farmers needed to unite to keep prices at a reasonable level to secure the future of local producers.

“We could do with all the dairy processors saying ‘we need to realise how vital these locally produced products are’, and there should be a bottom to the market so we can plan for our futures,” she said.

Farms like Caroline’s operate naturally, using their cows and sheep to fertilise the fields and feeding the livestock with food grown on the land.

She argued the carbon reductions seen in their farming methods negate the environmental impacts typically associated with dairy farming, such as methane emissions.

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“It’s hard work, but everything benefits from it,” said Caroline. “Farming is one of the few things these days that is truly real. We are custodians of the countryside and a vital part of the tradition of the area.”

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