日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Europe

Milk producers warn lockdown is leading to waste on an epic scale

By WANG MINGJIE | China Daily Global | Updated: 2020-04-30 09:32
Share
Share - WeChat
Bottles of milk sit on a doorstep in the town of Sawbridgeworth, as business for the 'Mr Milk' milkman company booms, as the spread of the COVID-19 continues in Hertfordshire, Britain, April 22, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

British dairy farmers have suffered a heavy blow because of the government's lockdown measures that have closed cafes, bars, pubs, and restaurants, something that has led to the spot price of milk dropping by as much as 50 percent since restrictions were introduced.

Dairy farmers usually supply their fresh milk to processors who supply it in consumer products, but the closure of much of the catering sector has resulted in a reduction in demand, leading at times to thousands of liters of milk being dumped each day.

Peter Alvis, chair of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, estimates around 700 farmers have been impacted and says, at times, 1 million liters of milk have been dumped in a day.

"The situation we found ourselves in when the coronavirus hit, was that quite a lot of products were going to ... cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants," he said. "When those markets closed down because of the social distancing requirements, the industry was not in the position to divert straight into the retail sector."

He said there was not sufficient processing capacity to find use for the unwanted milk, "so we were finding the milk was being dumped".

Farmers have also had to deal with falling prices.

"About six weeks ago, the spot price for the milk was in the high 20s (pence per liter), and today it is 10 to 12p, it's a massive difference," Alvis said. "So, any milk that has been traded and for milks that processors cannot utilize for core products, farmers are being paid … as little as 10p a liter. There is no way those dairy farmers can produce that milk for that money, so it's costing them on farms to produce it, and they are losing money on that milk."

Despite the short-term glut during the lockdown, farmers could not cut down production because of animal welfare and health implications.

"We cannot just stop milking the cows, it's an animal welfare thing, especially for those cows have just had their calf and have just started producing milk for the year, that milk is going to keep coming and we've got to keep looking after these animals and keep milking them," he said.

He said farmers can alter the food ration of the animals to reduce the amount of milk produced in the long run.

Processors have also reacted to the situation by moving milk around the country to fully utilize percent processing capacity and minimize waste.

And the industry is now working to convert extra milk into milk powder, but that too has problems.

"Because that powder will be sold in the market over the next 12 or 18 months, that will keep a lid on the prices," Alvis said. "So, it is really difficult. It is about trying to utilize the market and again try to open the markets as soon as we can so that we can actually get the products back to where the customers really want it."

Government support has been limited, Alvis said, but he welcomed a change to the competition law that allows processors to collaborate.

"The processors can now talk to each other, which we would not normally be allowed to do, to ensure we can maximize processing capacity and the volumes going to the processing plants," he said.

Alvis said this crisis has already left a scar on the industry and some players have already got out of milk production because of fears for the future.

He is hoping the lockdown will be eased in two or three weeks so demand can return to normal.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日本欧美一区二区三区不卡视频 | 日韩中文视频 | 亚洲精品美女久久久 | 一级片网址 | 欧美自拍视频在线 | 成人偷拍片视频在线观看 | 亚洲精品在线网站 | 日本不卡一区 | 波多野结衣mxgs1124在线 | 一级性黄色片 | 成人tv | 91久久国产 | 国产精品日韩欧美在线第3页 | 亚洲欧美精品 | 欧美成人h版整片合集 | 久久草资源费视频在线观看 | 免费永久欧美性色xo影院 | 综合网天天色 | 日韩一区二区在线视频 | 99精品欧美一区二区三区 | 香蕉草草久在视频在线播放 | 国产1区2区 | 男女啪啪片 | 亚洲码专区 | 午夜激情视频在线 | 天天操综合 | 日本三级韩国三级香港三级 | 日韩国产成人资源精品视频 | 福利精品 | 日本二本三本二区 | 久草草视频在线观看免费高清 | 一级片亚洲 | 欧美日韩一区二区三区四区五区 | 高清不卡一区 | 精品久久久久久亚洲 | 久草久草久草久草 | 久久69精品久久久久久久电影好 | 学院传说之三生三世桃花缘 | 91精品久久久 | 在线播放一区二区三区 | 久久久久av |