RECENT cuts to the price paid to farmers for milk have prompted renewed calls for the government to review and strengthen regulation of the dairy industry.

Anna Sabine, MP for Frome and East Somerset, and Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, have joined fellow Liberal Democrat MPs in calling for urgent reform of dairy industry regulation after some suppliers cut milk prices to farmers by up to 18%.

Ms Sabine said.“Our farmers are being grossly neglected and let down by the current system. With a Government that is cutting basic payments, increasing the family farm tax and repealing environmental incentives in a slapdash way, hard-working farmers should not also have to face a fragmented regulatory system that allows supermarket chains to short change them for their product.”

The dairy industry is currently overseen by both the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), a system some say has created a fragmented regulatory approach. There are calls for a single, stronger regulator with greater resources and authority to enforce standards and ensure fair pricing.

One supplier, Parkham Farms, has announced an 8p per litre drop for November milk to 35.5ppl, a cut of 18%, Freshways, meanwhile, has announced a cut of 6ppl, and dairy co-op Arla Foods confirmed that its October milk price will drop by 1.7ppl to 45.34ppl.

MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse said: “Dairy farmers across the South West and beyond are under immense pressure and are now facing devastating cuts to the price they receive for their milk.

“It is unacceptable that corporate buyers can slash prices without proper oversight. I echo Anna’s call for a single, empowered regulator with real teeth to stand up for farmers and ensure fairness across the supply chain.”