A recent survey of major milk buyers shows that there are currently about 8,850 dairy producers in the UK.

The AHDB score reflects the number of dairy producers who are actively involved in milk production in the UK. It is based on the number of active producers and temporarily inactive producers of milk buyers who participate in the Daily Milk Deliveries survey.

This covers approximately 75% of volumes in the UK, and therefore the estimate has been adjusted accordingly. The figure was used to account for direct suppliers. The number of dairy farms includes all farms with a dairy cow older than 2 years with offspring.

Recent data showed that in the UK there are 16,605 dairy holdings. However, almost 40% of them had less than 10 cows, which makes them more likely herds than dairy farms.

Despite the continued decline in milk producers, milk production is expected to be the highest in 29 years. Other factors, including the number and productivity of cows, have a greater impact on production than the number of producers.