Speaking about the All Party Parliamentary Group report on sustainable competitiveness of the UK dairy sector, Liz Bowles, head of farming, at the Soil Association said; “The Soil Association welcomes this report especially given the current market volatility. However it missed some opportunities to secure a truly sustainable future as no recommendations to underpin further improvements in supply chain sustainability at farm level were included.

“We seem to be sleep walking into a future where ever greater numbers of dairy cows are being housed 24/7, fed on diets with increased proportions of concentrates to support the higher levels of milk production whilst grass, the cheapest feed available, is being consigned to ‘loafing’ paddocks for dry cows only.

"Whilst dairy farmers clearly have free will to decide on the production system which suits them best the true competitive advantage of basing dairying on grass is being lost as an ‘orphan’ technology; relatively few companies benefit from its greater adoption compared to the high technology approaches needed for high output systems.

“Whilst it was acknowledged that there is now a clear delineation between high output systems and pasture based systems – where production costs are often lower due to their greater reliance on grass – it is disappointing that no mention was made of the current dangerous situation facing our UK soils, particularly in areas where dairying predominates.

"A recent study found 38 per cent of sites surveyed in South West England between 2002 and 2011 had soil structural degradation, producing observable features of enhanced surface-water runoff within the landscape. Maize crops were found to be the most problematic; with 75 per cent exhibiting signs of structural degradation, generating enhanced surface-water runoff.

"The report suggests that the UK comes out well against other countries in terms of the Dairy Sustainability Framework but the omission of the poor state of our soils must call this into question.”