Monday is the last day on which farmers can sign a government ePetition, which was set up in response to the milk crisis, demanding the introduction of a minimum milk price payable to farmers.

Although 30,000 people have already signed the petition, 100,000 signatures are needed to secure a debate on milk prices in Parliament.

Milk prices, which fell throughout the second half of last year, have been seen to recover slightly in recent weeks, with Arla becoming the first major processor to announce a price rise since 2014.

As over 10,000 people have engaged with the petition, Defra - the responsible government department - has been forced to respond to the demand.

Defra said, "The Government understands that some farmers are struggling with low prices and we are doing everything we can to help them through this period. We have asked HMRC and the banks to take a sympathetic stance with dairy farmers, and we have ensured that farm payments for dairy farmers are prioritised by the Rural Payments Agency.

"The Government has created a Groceries Code Adjudicator to address the market dominance of the large retailers and ensure suppliers are treated fairly and lawfully. In the dairy sector, an industry code of practice on contractual relationships is in place to increase trust and transparency and to give farmers a fairer deal. However, the Government cannot legislate on prices, which must be agreed by retailers, processors and producers."

The petition can be signed here.