Royal Welsh Show: FUW garners support on milk

Supermarkets and milk processors will soon receive hundreds of letters pledging support for Welsh dairy farmers.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales used the Royal Welsh Show as a platform to encourage visitors to sign an open letter expressing concern over the impact cuts in farmgate milk prices will have on farms in Wales.

The letters called for action to reverse the cuts and emphasised the need for the dairy supply chain to work together to achieve an “acceptable and sustainable” price.

The FUW’s milk and dairy produce committee chairman, Dei Davies, said the dairy industry was in crisis and that the number of traditional dairy farms in Wales continued to dwindle.

“More than 800 dairy farms in Wales have shut down between 2006 and last year. The figures reveal that in just five years, they have dwindled from 2,727 to 1,908,” he said.

“It must not be overlooked that the loss of these farms has its own knock-on effect on community life in our rural villages and communities, which thrived in past times due to a vibrant farming industry.”

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