Hayling Island dairy farmer and experts hail potential for 'long overdue' milk price rise as cost of living crisis continues

Dairy products could see substantial cost increases, with soaring expenses in feed, fertiliser, fuel, and other overheads being the main cause.

Farming industry experts warned the price could surge 50 per cent, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Tim Pike, 46, who runs Northney Dairy farm with his family, in St Peter’s Road, Hayling Island, said price rises have been coming.

He told The News: ‘People need to pay a realistic price for milk, bearing in mind the cost of production.

‘It has been low for many years, and its correction is starting to respond to the many years of it being under priced.

‘It has not kept pace with rising inflation for decades, and it is a correction which has been long overdue.’

Mr Pike added farmers have been struggling with ‘rapidly increasing overheads’.

A lack of excess milk in the industry has lead to a great demand for it, meaning an inevitable price jump.

Mr Pike said: ‘When the pandemic first happened, and the food service industry stopped, the milk price collapsed.

‘It’s only now getting to pre-pandemic levels.

‘I don’t know what the increase might be, but it needs to happen because of the substantial costs we can’t avoid.’

Over 100 Ayrshire cows are at Northney Dairy, a business which has operated in its current form for over 70 years.

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Mr Pike said more money would be invested into new equipment, and does not see demand falling despite the cost of living crisis.

He explained: ‘Milk is a staple product which everyone wants and is going to carry on buying.

‘The need from the food service industry is still very high, and the trend for milky coffees hasn’t gone away.’

Last week, farming industry bosses flew to Brussels to discuss pricing.

According to Kite Consulting, a UK advisor to dairy farmers, four pints of milk could rise from £1.15 to between £1.60 and £1.70.

With Portsmouth residents facing a cost of living strain, this could hit families hard.

Carol Lever, co-founder and director of the Free Range Dairy Network, said she sympathises with those struggling with expenses, but milk could no longer be a loss leader.

She told The News: ‘Farmers need enough money to survive, to feed their own families and pay their own bills.

‘The chickens have come home to roost, and all the shocks that have come at the same time has put a real strain on the dairy industry.

‘I know it’s controversial, but we need to pay more for our milk, because we are now facing the consequences of a system which has been putting farmers out of business.’

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Founded in 2014, Free Range Dairy Network supports sustainable UK pasture based farms.

Ms Lever said a cost rise is necessary to offset the exodus of farmers who left .

She said: ‘It is going to be a difficult choice, but a good quality milk will go a long way to supplement your diet with natural healthy fats and protein.

‘It will be a shock for many to make a big leap for the price of milk, but farmers have been desperate for it.’