Farming Today - Farming Today This Week

The number of dairy farmers in England and Wales has halved in the last ten years. There are currently 11 and a half thousand farmers still producing milk but every day, two or three of these are leaving the industry. The UK is making ten percent less milk now than it did just six years ago. Industry analysts claim the low prices farmers are getting for their milk are mainly to blame for so many farmers giving up. The average price farmers are being paid is 24.5 pence a litre but it costs them more than this to produce it. Other issues are high feed prices and the lack of silage due to the dry summer. On Farming Today This Week, Charlotte Smith visits new farmer, Robert Pierce in Cheshire to find out how to make money out of dairy and if there is a future to the industry in the UK. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Anna Varle.