Although the UK does not export a great deal of produce directly to Europe, the impacts of a food and drink ban which covers the entire bloc will still be felt by UK producers, primarily as the result of excess produce destined for exports now remaining within the EU. The NFU has claimed this is compounding issues within the global milk market.  

Last week, after announcing measures to support soft fruit and horticulture producers whose intended markets were closed off during harvest time, leaving them without storage or adequate time to find alternatives in many cases, the Commission extended support to dairy farmers.  

On Wednesday, NFU dairy board chair Rob Harrison appealed to European leaders to commit to further support. The union wants European dairy farmer representatives, traders and European Commission officials to agree on new proposals for private storage aid and find ways to limit the joint impacts of falling commodity prices and the Russian import ban on dairy products.

Harrison said, "I am calling for four things to be done which could help secure the short and long-term viability of our dairy industry, including private storage aid measures to include cheese as well as skimmed milk powder and butter; for product to be kept in store for at least a year to reduce the risk of collapsing the market while the Russian ban is still in effect; for the Commission to focus on promotion of EU dairy products in important growing export markets; and for the commission to investigate ways to release product from storage, that minimises the impact on the domestic market place."