To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports his Department received of the financial difficulties faced by the cooperative Dairy Farmers in Britain before it went into receivership. (281985)

The challenges faced by Dairy Farmers of Britain were widely reported in recent months. Ministers held discussions with Lord Granchester (chairman of DFB) on more than one occasion and officials kept Ministers informed of discussions with stakeholders on the issue. The details of these discussions were commercially confidential and sensitive.