Dairy farm numbers down in England and Wales

Dairy farmer numbers in England and Wales dropped by 241 during 2013, according to latest figures from DairyCo.
At the beginning of 2014, dairy producer numbers stood at 10,430 compared with 10,671 in January 2013.
The figures are derived from the number of farms registered with the Food Standards Agency to sell milk for human consumption.
The number of dairy farmers in Wales in January 2014 was 1,862, which was down from 1,899 in January 2013.
In England the figure dropped from 8,772 in January 2013 to 8,558 in January 2014.
The biggest drops in England were seen in the North, North West and Midlands.
These three regions alone accounted for a drop of 160 farms.
Producer numbers by region – England | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Region | Jan 2013 | Jan 2014 | Year-on-year change | Year-on-year % change |
North | 1,656 | 1,603 | -53 | -3.2% |
North West | 2,299 | 2,241 | -58 | -2.5% |
East | 148 | 141 | -7 | -4.7% |
Midlands | 1,232 | 1,183 | -49 | -4.0% |
South | 237 | 227 | 10 | -4.2% |
Mid-West | 1,357 | 1,344 | -13 | -1.0% |
Far-West | 1,588 | 1,569 | -19 | -1.2% |
South East | 255 | 250 | -5 | -2.0% |
Wales | 1,899 | 1,872 | -27 | -1.4% |
Source: Food Standards Agency |
Producer numbers by region – Wales | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Region | Jan 2013 | Jan 2014 | Year-on-year change | Year-on-year % change |
NE Wales | 351 | 341 | -10 | -2.8% |
Ceredigion | 228 | 226 | -2 | -0.9% |
Pembrokeshire | 345 | 338 | -7 | -2.0% |
Carmarthenshire | 513 | 510 | -3 | -0.6% |
NW Wales | 134 | 133 | -1 | 10.7% |
Powys | 169 | 165 | -4 | -2.4% |
South Wales | 159 | 159 | 0 | 0.0% |
Total | 1,899 | 1,872 | -27 | -1.4% |
Source: Food Standards Agency |