Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the levels of (a) imports, and (b) exports, for United Kingdom dairy industry products for each year from 2003 to 2009. [HL1406]
The Answer to the Question is given in the tables below. The latest information available is up to October 2009.
UK trade in liquid drinking milk (pasteurised or UHT), 2003 to Oct 2009 Million litres 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Jan to Oct 2009 (Prov) Exports 193 251 485 512 423 457 377 Imports 37 55 47 84 88 134 75
UK trade in milk products, 2003 to Oct 2009 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Jan to Oct 2009 (Prov) Exports Butter 44 35 45 36 32 24 22 Cheese 90 93 96 104 97 88 87 Condensed Milk 20 18 4 6 6 3 4 Cream 114 81 93 94 78 62 51 Milk powders 173 186 102 96 105 98 60 Imports Butter 118 114 129 147 103 81 74 Cheese 316 335 353 378 403 422 342 Condensed Milk 20 25 33 45 41 39 31 Cream 15 15 30 37 43 55 54 Milk powders 45 68 78 51 61 66 67
Source: HMRC
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (a) dairy farmers, and (b) dairy cows, there were in each year from 2000 to 2009. [HL1407]
Changes in the number of farmers and dairy cows are just two elements of the structural changes that have taken place in the sector. The long-term trend in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. The table below provides the fuller picture on the structural changes in the sector and shows how the decline in the number of dairy farms and farmers has been offset by an increase in average herd size and milk yields.
The number of principal farmers on dairy holdings is not yet available for 2009, so the most recent data cover up to 2008. The 2009 data will be released in March 2010.
The decrease in the numbers of dairy farmers in England between 2000 and 2008 (-26 per cent) is less than the fall in the number of holdings with dairy cows between 2000 and 2009 (-36 per cent). This reflects a rise in the average number of farmers per farm over the period as the average farm size has increased.
However, the number of dairy cows has decreased by less (-24 per cent), reflecting a rise in the average herd size.
(b) (c) (b) (c) (b) (c) 2000 15,219 31,418 1,576 2001 14,293 30,178 1,490 2002 14,537 30,425 1,462 2003 13,770 28,918 1,435 2004 13,264 28,057 1,374 2005 12,918 26,168 1,311 2006 11,522 11,079 22,483 25,706 1,259 1,290 2007 10,907 21,082 1,236 2008 10,331 20,122 1,199 2009 9,805 -- -- -- 1,163 % change between 2000 and 2009(e) -36% -26% -24%
-- not yet available
(a) Farmers are defined as principal farmers, partners, directors and spouses if working on the holding.
(b) Sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Defined as the number of holdings on 1 June each year with more than 10 dairy cows in the milking herd. CTS became the main source of cattle data from 2006 onwards. Results prior to this were sourced from the June Survey of Agriculture but are not directly comparable.
(c) Sourced from the June Survey of Agriculture. Defined as the number of holdings with dairy as the predominant farming activity.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they hold statistics on the market value of female dairy animals sold in English livestock markets. [HL1409]
Statistics on the market value of dairy animals sold in English livestock markets are held by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. These statistics are provided to Defra on a monthly basis, split into 13 categories by age and pedigree or non-pedigree status. The information is then published on the Defra website at https://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/amr/default.asp.