Ayrshire producer Mossgiel Organic Dairy has supplied 56,000 litres of milk to businesses in England as heat and drought put pressure on dairy production across the south.
A Scottish organic dairy farm has supplied around 56,000 litres of milk to businesses in England as prolonged heat and drought conditions reduce milk availability across parts of the country. Mossgiel Organic Dairy, based in Ayrshire, said it has seen an unusual increase in enquiries from businesses south of the Scottish border seeking additional supplies.
The volume supplied by Mossgiel is equivalent to around two large milk tanker loads and had been delivered by September 11. The farm was subsequently asked to provide another 40,000 litres but did not have enough milk available to meet the additional request. Founder Bryce Cunningham said the level of interest was unprecedented for the business, with three enquiries arriving within roughly 10 minutes about supplies for the following week.
The increased demand comes after an exceptionally hot and dry summer across much of the UK. England and Wales have experienced poor pasture conditions, reduced forage growth and heat stress among livestock, creating additional challenges for dairy farms. Scotland and parts of northern Britain have generally been less affected by the extreme conditions.
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board data showed that UK daily milk collections were around 1.24 million litres, or 3.7%, below the level recorded during the same period a year earlier. Earlier AHDB figures also showed that Great Britain’s August milk deliveries fell an estimated 4.5% year on year to about 992 million litres, with extreme heat contributing to lower yields.
Mossgiel has also experienced some heat stress among its cows, although the Ayrshire farm has largely avoided the more severe conditions reported further south. The difference in weather impacts has created an opportunity for Scottish producers to help meet some of the shortfall in other parts of Britain.
The situation is particularly significant for organic milk, which can already be more difficult to source at certain times of the year. Cunningham said the drought had intensified existing supply pressures in the organic dairy market, making it harder for businesses to secure additional volumes when demand increased.
The wider dairy industry is also facing concerns about forage availability. AHDB reported that grass growth has remained below the five-year average in several regions, while Scotland and parts of northern Britain have experienced less severe impacts from the heat and drought. Some farmers have already started using winter feed earlier than usual, raising concerns about feed availability during the coming months.
The weather-related supply pressures highlight the importance of regional resilience within the UK dairy sector. While Scottish farms have been able to provide some additional milk to businesses in England, the relatively small volume available from individual producers also demonstrates the limits of transferring supplies between regions when production conditions deteriorate across large areas.
For dairy producers, the longer-term concern is how frequently extreme weather events affect grazing, forage production and animal productivity. The current movement of Scottish milk south provides an immediate response to regional supply pressures, while the wider industry continues to assess the implications of drought and heat for future milk production.