No deal dairy tariff car crash could cost the UK dairy industry £1.3 billion

Jaws could be heard hitting the desks of dairy processors earlier this week when the government dropped the bombshell that it’s temporary no deal Brexit will see European dairy products able to come into the UK subject to Zero or minimal tariffs.  Meanwhile the significant volume of UK dairy exports currently going into Europe (90% of our dairy exports) will be hit with WTO tariffs which were was described by Dairy UK as “cripplingly high” and will make our dairy products uncompetitive in Europe.

The tariffs will be nothing short of catastrophic and result in an estimated 150,000 tonnes of cheese and 33,000 tonnes of butter flooding the UK market creating “the potential for huge farmgate milk price collapses” racking up to £1.3 billion in lost revenue. (See above Glanbia story)

Dairy UK are calling (or perhaps screaming) at government to put equivalent/reciprocal tariffs in place to protect the industry and a car crash in farmgate milk prices.  The only alternatives appear to be either government support or potential quick exodus of dairy famers and possibly some processors. Lets all point our prayer mats towards London and a deal because this scenario could result in farmgate milk prices across the piste crashing suddenly.