Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
Industry operators raise and breed dairy cattle to produce raw milk and sell it to processors and manufacturers. The industry has had to contend with various challenges over recent years, such as falling establishment numbers, increased costs and volatile farm-gate prices. In spite of high volatility, farm-gate prices have risen overall, giving farmers higher returns on their produce. This has driven up industry revenue at a compound annual rate of 3.3% over the five years through 2012-13, to a total of £3.9 billion. However, prices have fallen in 2012-13, causing revenue to decline by 1.7%.
Volatility in the farm-gate price of raw milk and increased costs for industry operators have hit margins and had a devastating effect on industry participation... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Locations Chapter
Establishments in the Dairy Cattle Raising industry are located in rural areas and, therefore, tend to be located in less populous regions with a large proportion of agricultural land. The regions with the highest proportion of industry establishments largely reflect this, as they are Northern Ireland, Wales, the South West and Scotland. They also have high levels of rainfall, which provides ideal conditions for grass, which is an essential part of a dairy cow's diet. Growing it, rather than buying it, offers cost savings for dairy farmers.
Provenance is becoming an issue of increased importance in the downstream retail dairy market; customers have become more interest in the geographic origin of food... purchase to read more