Name: Milk price slide leaves UK dairy farmers on the brink
Uploaded: 2026-03-18T17:08:08.000Z
Duration: 2 min 10 s
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Milk prices have fallen so sharply due to overabundance that UK dairy farmers Kelly and Ed Seton expect to lose money this year.

Across Britain, farmers warn milk production is no longer profitable, leaving many at risk of going out of business.

It's accelerating farmers decisions to leave the dairy industry behind.

Data shows the number of dairy producers has fallen by 20% since 2019-20, about 7,000.

It's simply a matter of too much milk in the market.

The setons, who have 200 pedigree Holstein cows on their farm in the northwest of England, are closely watching the price drop.

Cost of production is sitting at about 40 pence per litre, Kelly Seaton said.

The last price drop was the 1st of February.

The difference really for us is about 19,000, 20,000 pounds less this month than we would have got for our milk in September.

US and European milk production has rebounded this year after a weak 2025.

In Britain, milking herd numbers are at their lowest in a decade, yet the cows are actually producing more milk.

Drought conditions in the UK last year led farmers to rely more heavily on concentrated feed in place of grazing, resulting in higher milk yields.

And because milk is a globally traded commodity, UK prices are prone to volatility being exposed to factors beyond domestic control.

The downturn has been far faster and steeper than analysts expected, giving farmers little time to adapt.

Farm consultant Paddy Snodgrass is expecting dairy farmers to continue to fall.

It's also a reflection of the age of the industry and people, and

succession and families aren't continuing in the however.

Ed Seton's family has been in dairy farming for more than a century and despite the bleak outlook, the pair are remaining stoic, hoping good times outweigh the bad.