The dairy industry in the United Kingdom is the industry of dairy farming that takes place in the UK.
Production
In Europe, UK milk production is third after France & Germany and is around the tenth highest in the world. There are around 12,000 dairy farms in the UK.
Around 14 billion litres of milk are commercially produced in the UK each year.
Britain eats around 2000 tonnes of cheese a day. The World Cheese Awards are run by the Guild of Fine Food.
History Express Dairies was formed in 1864. Nestlé, as the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, opened a creamery, to make condensed milk, in Aylesbury in September 1870; the Aylesbury Vale area was a known dairy region. Semley in south-west Wiltshire, near Dorset, had the first site in the UK, around 1871, to cool milk, for transportation, on the West of England line. Anthony Hailwood started his Cheshire Sterilised Milk Company in 1894, the first in the UK.
St Ivel made a range of products in Yeovil in Somerset.Times Monday June 8, 1914 United Dairies was formed in 1915, in the Wiltshire area, to allow more men to fight in the war. Joseph Maggs was chairman from 1921 to 1943.Times Wednesday July 8 1964, page 20
The World Dairy Congress was held in London in June 1928. The manufacture of ice-cream was discussed, with Prof Albert Mertens of Louvain University in Belgium, and Otto Gratz of the Royal Hungarian Dairy Experimental Station.Times Friday June 29, 1928
In the 1930s the Dairy Show was held in Islington, in late October; since 2010 it has been held at the NEC. At a meeting of the Royal Empire Society in January 1931, with Sir William Wayland, it was decided to form the Empire Dairy Council, in offices on Northumberland Avenue.Times Wednesday January 21, 1931, page 9
In October 1931, to protect the French dairy industry, France imposed quotas on dairy exports to France.Times Thursday October 1, 1931, page 11
The Import Duties Act 1932 came into effect in March 1932. The British Empire Economic Conference, held in Canada in July and August 1932, decided on Imperial Preference for scaling import duties on Empire dairy produce. The Irish Free State attended the conference; Ireland operated as part of the British Empire until May 1937, under the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922. But from 1932, Ireland did not get the same reduction in import duties as other Empire countries.
In 1934, the UK dairy industry turned over £63m, with 320,000 employees. Over 80% of the world's butter exports, and 50% of the world's cheese exports came to the UK. 90% of the cheese exports of Canada and Australia came to the UK, with all of Eire's butter exports.Times Friday June 1 1934, page 8
In the 1930s Cadbury made 900 tons of Dairy Milk a week, from 26 million gallons of milk a year, with plants in Denbighshire, Knighton in Staffordshire, Marlbrook in Hereford, and Newent and Frampton-on-Severn in Gloucestershire. During the war, only two million gallons of this milk went to chocolate production, with the rest for cheese production. By 1952, Cadbury collected 29 million gallons of milk, with 5 million for chocolate.Times Tuesday June 30, 1953, page 12 Cadbury circumvented government rationing by supplying milk from its site at Rathmore, County Kerry; a third of the milk that Cadbury required came from this Irish plant. The Ministry of Food stopped restricting milk production on April 1, 1954.
Milk rationing was announced on August 6 1941.Times Thursday August 7 1941, page 4 A holder of a child's ration book would be entitled to seven pints a week, along with expectant mothers. Other children with the general ration book, born from January 1924 to December 1935 could have three and a half pints. Northern Ireland had no milk rationing whatsoever, due to less milk was taken to creameries for other types of production, it could be available for liquid milk.Times Friday August 15 1941, page 2 But workers in industry could have slightly more, with their tea and coffee, with a dispensation for canteens.Times Thursday August 21 1941, page 2 Milk rationing took effect from October 1 1941. Men over the age of 25 in the liquid milk industry became a reserved occupation, and over the age of 30 in the cheese industry. This meant that around 750 male workers entered the forces.Times Saturday October 11 1941, page 4 Adults could have two pints a week.Times Friday November 21 1941, page 2
Milk production dropped significantly in Scotland, so by 1942 milk was imported from Northern Ireland to Scotland.Times Wednesday Oct 14 1942, page 2 This ship had an accident in late November 1944.
From October 1 1942, the Ministry of Food took over the whole collection of milk from suppliers under the Milk Movements Branch, and instructed how milk was distributed across the country, as a whole.Times Saturday October 31 1942, page 7 Milk was sold across England and Wales at 4.5d a pint. It involved a staff reduction in the delivery of milk of around 30%, and it reduced consumption of petrol by around 35%.Times Friday May 14 1943, page 8
In late October 1942 the ration reduced from 3 to 2.5 pints. 70% of UK milk was pasteurised.Times Wednesday October 21 1942, page 2 On Sunday November 22 1942 it reduced from 2.5 to 2 pints.Times Wednesday November 18 1942, page 2 On Sunday March 14 1943 it increased from 2 to 2.5 pints.Somerset Guardian Friday 12 March 1943, page 1 In late April 1943 it increased from 2.5 to 3 pints.Daily Herald Saturday 24 April 1943, page 1Times Saturday April 24 1943, page 2 On Sunday May 2 1943 it increased to 4 pints. On Sunday July 4 1943 it reduced from 4 to 3 pints. On Sunday August 1 1943 it reduced from 3 to 2.5 pints, with 7.5 pints per 100 hot beverages for catering establishments.Times Tuesday July 20 1943, page 2 On Sunday May 7 1944 it increased from 2.5 pints to 4 pints. On Sunday June 18 1944 it reduced from 4 to 3 pints, with nine pints per 100 hot beverages for catering establishments, instead of 12.Edinburgh Evening News Saturday 17 June 1944, page 4 On Sunday 2 July 1944 it reduced from 3 to 2.5 pints, this was largely due to the D-Day invasion. On November 5 1944 it reduced 2.5 to 2 pints, introduced by William Mabane.
In January 1945 Conservative minister, Robert Hudson, believed that milk rationing would last until 1949.Nottingham Journal Tuesday 9 January 1945, page 2 On Sunday March 18 1945 it increased from 2 pints to 2.5 pints.Western Gazette Friday 9 March 1945, page 8 On Sunday April 22 1945 the milk ration for non-priority adults increased from 2.5 to 3 pints per week.Western Daily Press Wednesday 11 April 1945, page 4
Due to a six-week drought in August 1947, the milk ration was cut from 2.5 to 2 pints from Sunday August 24 1947, introduced by John Strachey (politician) and Edith Summerskill. Due to prolonged food rationing, John Strachey was much maligned by the general public and some newspapers.
Milk rationing ended briefly on May 16 1948, but it was reinstated three weeks later on Sunday June 6 1948. Most people would be allowed three pints a week, and catering establishments would be allowed nine pints per 100 hot beverages.Times Wednesday June 2 1948, page 4 on Sunday August 21 1949, there could be six pints per 100 hot beverages for catering establishments, not including schools and hospitals.Times Saturday August 20 1949 On Sunday November 6 1949 the ration increased from 2.5 to 3 pints.
Milk rationing ended on Sunday January 15 1950, but no cream was sold in the UK until April 1953.Times Monday January 9 1950, page 2 Milk could be added to manufactured food, from April 1953 as well.Times Friday March 27 1953, page 5
On November 24 1945, most food rationing in US had stopped, except sugar. Milk rationing stopped in Australia in July 1948. In the Netherlands, milk rationing stopped on July 1 1949. Rationing in Ireland finished July 4 1952.Times Tuesday May 20 1952
Pasteurised milk technology was developed in the 1930s. In the 1960s, most milk was taken to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. Pasteurisation was the HTST process, or high-temperature short-time, also known as flash pasteurization.
In 1954 production from the Cadbury milk crumb factory halved at Rathmore in Ireland, as UK milk production was no longer restricted. In England & Wales, Cadbury now took 8m more gallons of milk.Times Monday May 23 1955
St Ivel became part of Unigate in late February 1959. St Ivel had made mostly cheese, being the largest dairy company in the Commonwealth.Wiltshire Times Friday 16 December 1960, page 5
The International Dairy Congress was held in London in June 1959, with chairman Sir Thomas Peacock, with research led by Professor Herbert Davenport Kay CBE FRS (1893–1976).
In 1960 Somerset produced the most milk in England.Cheddar Valley Gazette Friday 28 October 1960, page 5
From November 1967, the Milk Distributive Council of England and Wales introduced a voluntary colour code of milk bottle tops.Lincolnshire Echo Wednesday 15 November 1967, page 1 From December 1, 1973, a compulsory colour code for milk bottle tops was introduced.Kent Evening Post Wednesday 27 June 1973, page 24 South Devon and Channel Island milk had had the 'gold top' trade distinctions since 1956.Cheddar Valley Gazette Friday 7 December 1973, page 8
When cardboard containers were introduced in the 1960s, this could be sold at a higher price than bottles, as the bottle price had been set by the government from January 1940. Grand Met bought Express Dairies in September 1969.
In the mid-1970s, the UK imported 80% of its dairy products. Unigate in the 1970s was the largest dairy company in the UK, with the Unigate Foods division trading under the well-known 'St Ivel' label, headquartered in Wootton Bassett in north Wiltshire near Swindon.Nottingham Evening Post Thursday 1 July 1971, page 15
In July 1979, Unigate sold 75% of its milk production to the Milk Marketing Board for £55m. This gave the Milk Marketing Board 22% of butter in England and Wales, and 25% of cheese.Western Daily Press Wednesday 18 July 1979, page 2
Sales, in bulk, to supermarkets largely began from 1980. By 1985, 40% of milk was bought in supermarkets.
In 1981 consumption of milk was under 6,400 million litres a year. It had peaked in the mid-1970s at over 7,000 million litres per year. In 1974 a pint of milk was fixed at 5p, which was kept artificially-low during the late 1970s; by 1981 it had risen three-fold to 18p.Times Wednesday September 2 1981, page 11
In January 1989, Unigate, run by John Clement, sold all its milk processing north of the Thames to Dairy Crest, for £152m (£126m net). The sale included seven processing sites and eighty nine distribution depots. Before the sale Unigate produced a third of liquid milk in England and Wales. It gave Dairy Crest 16% of milk processing in England and Wales.Times Tuesday January 24, 1989, page 19
The Food Safety Act 1990 introduced supermarket 'best before' and 'use by' dates. The British milk industry became deregulated on 1 November 1994. In 1995 sales of semi-skimmed milk took over that of whole milk.Times Saturday March 6 1999
Arla operations in the UK merged with Express Dairies, of Leicester, with chairman Sir David Naish, to become Arla UK in October 2003.Times Friday March 28, 2003, page 35 Around 2007 vegan Oatly, of Sweden, entered British supermarkets.
Friesland Campina UK, of the Netherlands, moved from Horsham in West Sussex, to London in 2024; their Yazoo (drink), launched in 1987, is the most popular flavoured milk product in the UK.
Butter In the 1920s Katharine Coward researched the amount of vitamins present in butter.