‘It’s the tip of the iceberg’: Dairy farmers forced to pour milk away due to HGV driver shortage
British dairy farmers say they have poured tens of thousands of litres of milk away due to the HGV driver shortage – and fear it is just the “tip of the iceberg” ahead of winter.
One fourth-generation dairy farmer in central England has been forced to dump 40,000 litres of milk over the past two months after no drivers turned up to collect it due to the HGV driver shortage.
“It’s cutting, it’s emotionally draining when you’re producing milk and at the end of the day you have to pull the plug and it has to go,” said the farmer, who asked not to be named due to concerns about the impact of negative publicity on contractors.
A massive 15.3 billion litres of milk was produced in the UK last year
The farmer said he has had to destroy four milk loads since the beginning of August and previously had only had to do it two or three times in 45 years due to bad weather.
Other farmers have reported turning to “distress milk services”, which are small companies set up to buy milk at lower prices and transport it to other outlets to stop it from being dumped.
A massive 15.3 billion litres of milk was produced in the UK last year so the effect of supplies having to be poured down the drain or sold for less will not yet be seen in shops.
But, it shows the extent of the labour problems across the UK and follows in the footsteps of the fuel crisis and hundreds of healthy pigs being slaughtered because there are not enough abattoir workers.
And as many dairy farmers do not make a profit on their milk, any small knocks are felt very quickly, Peter Alvis, chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers said.
“I don’t think things with global supply chains have settled down again after the pandemic, and the shortage of HGV drivers is having quite a large impact,” he said.
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HGV delivering fuel is driven by military
Mr Alvis said milk wastage was so far limited to a few incidents, but precise data is difficult to obtain.
Rob Hunthatch, 38, runs a distress milk service rescuing milk for half its normal price and turning it into curd, which is the first stage in cheesemaking.
He said he typically only has two hours to pick up the milk after a farmer calls him before it is dumped.
In September, he saved 160,000 litres of milk in Cheshire alone – a 100,000 litre increase from the previous month – but was unable to save a further 80,000 litres.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Huntbatch said.
“I think it will get worse – in wintertime if there’s snow, drivers get slowed down, and it’s going to make even more of an impact.”
Milk wastage is not the only current problem facing dairy farmers, with prices for fertiliser used to grow feed rocketing, as well as natural gas and electricity.
Henry Bloxham, a Staffordshire dairy farmer, said his fertiliser prices have risen by 150% in three weeks and fuel increased by 10p a litre in the last week.
The Queen is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.
A palace spokesperson said Camilla’s doctors “have advised a short period of rest” and added that “with great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week”.
They added the Queen “very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal”.
“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” they said.
It is understood the Queen is currently resting at home and is under doctor’s supervision.
Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, has stepped in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
The Queen has also withdrawn from a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on the same evening.
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Camilla recently returned from an overseas tour of Australia and Samoa. No further details regarding her illness or treatment have been released.
A safety system was “blocked” during a fatal train crash in Powys, an initial investigation has found.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published its initial findings into last month’s collision, in which one person died.
David Tudor Evans, 66, was described as a “lovely guy, full of life and enjoyment”.
A further 15 people were taken to hospital for treatment after the crash near Talerddig, police said.
The collision – at around 7.26pm on 21 October – involved the 6.31pm Transport for Wales service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and the 7.09pm Transport for Wales service from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.
The RAIB said the units were fitted with wheel slide protection systems – described as being similar to anti-lock braking systems in cars – and an automatic sanding system.
Sand is discharged automatically via hoses when a wheel slide is detected during braking – creating more friction at the wheel-rail interface.
A map showing the location of the crash near Llanbrynmair and Talerddig in Powys
The on-train data recorder shows the wheel slide started during braking and was also present after the driver made an emergency brake demand.
An inspection of the sanding system fitted to Aberystwyth-bound train 1J25 showed the leading vehicle’s sanding hoses were blocked.
The RAIB says they were apparently unable to discharge sand.
The ongoing investigation is also looking at the speed at which the trains were travelling when they collided.
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Initial enquiries suggest the westbound train was travelling at a speed of between 15mph and 24mph, while the eastbound train was travelling at a speed of 6mph.
The RAIB says its investigation will look at the sequence of events which led to the crash.
As part of the probe, the agency will look at factors including the actions of those involved, the level of wheel-rail adhesion, and the behaviour of both trains during and after the crash.
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In a joint statement, Transport for Wales and Network Rail said they have “fully cooperated” with the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
“As investigations are currently still ongoing, we’ll continue to work together with investigators to understand what happened and await the full conclusion and recommendations of the investigation,” a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said safety was the “main priority” for both companies and they had “carried out enhanced checks to the trains and the railway line”.
“At this early stage of the investigation, it’s fundamental that we await the findings of the full report and show sensitivity towards our customers, colleagues, the local community and the families of those affected by the incident,” they added.
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