The rising costs of milk production have been further compounded by farm labour shortages and top European dairy producer Arla has warned of further price increases as a result.

A survey by Arla found that 58% of their milk suppliers in the UK are finding it tougher to find staff since 2019 due to the changes brought about by covid and the end of the free movement of EU workers after the UK’s departure. 12% of participants also said they were considering leaving dairy farming altogether because of labour shortages and Arla has warned of further price rises on their products unless the government takes urgent action to alleviate the crisis. The difficulty of finding staff has forced labour costs up by 22% over the last 3 years and long-term food security is also under threat due to this crisis according to Arla. If more farmers leave the market we could face a long term threat to milk supply in Europe.