Michael Fabricant spoke up for Staffordshire dairy farmers in the Commons today when he quizzed Nic Brown, Minister for Agriculture.

He told the Minister “Over the last 3 years farm gate milk prices have fallen by a third, more than 5000 dairy farmers across the country have given up, the cost of producing a pint of milk is 11p but farmers are paid less than 10p – Mr McCawber could tell him what that means!”

He went on to tell the Minister that he should stop being so complacent and asked “Will he only be satisfied when every dairy farmer has gone out of business and the only milk we’ll be able to buy is frozen from France?”

Nic Brown denied he was being complacent, but offered no assistance or solution to the threat facing the dairy industry in Britain.

Michael Fabricant now says “This will be very disappointing news for Staffordshire dairy farmers. European Union compensation funds are available, but for some reason or other the Government is refusing to use them. The situation is getting desperate in Staffordshire as elsewhere in the country”.