The boss of First Milk has accused the UK Government of failing to back the country’s dairy farmers.
Chief executive Kate Allum is angry that Westminster has failed to follow the likes of Australia in encouraging people to take three portions of dairy a day.
Speaking at the Semex conference in Glasgow, she directed her considerable firepower at ministers and their “lack of support” for dairy products as part of a healthy diet.
“The UK, with its well structured dairy sector, was well placed to meet national and global demand for healthy food,” she said.
“We should have a massive head start – but we don’t.
“The US, Australia and a host of other countries recognise the nutritional value of dairy to the extent that, in Australia, it is recommended that people eat three portions of dairy produce every day.
“You would expect the UK to do the same, but instead the Department of Health’s “smart Swap” campaign focuses negatively on dairy with four out of six suggested swaps involving dairy products.
“You would have thought pies or sausage rolls would have merited a mention as foods that should be swapped for something else, but they are not. Why the focus on dairy and its gold standard foods packed with nutrition?”
Unfortunately, the figure who could have carried her query straight to the UK Government had left the building by the time she took to the podium.
Defra Secretary of State Owen Paterson spoke first but had to return to London for an urgent meeting.
He used his brief appearance to call on dairy farmers to seize upon the opportunity to sell their produce outside the UK.
He had a bullish message on trade prospects, estimating that cheese, ice cream and yoghurt could help boost the British economy by £500million through unlocking the key to export success.
With Asian consumers increasingly embracing western diets, global demand for British dairy produce has never been higher.
Mr Paterson said: “Last year, UK food and drink exports were worth £18.2billion, nearly 50% higher than a decade ago, and there is room to grow even further.
“The Scottish Dairy review, commissioned by the Scottish Government, highlighted that exploiting export opportunities is essential for growth in the industry. Currently, only 8% of Scottish dairy products are sold outside the UK.
“I have been to numerous trade shows recently including Shanghai, Moscow, New York and Cologne. At each of them, I was banging the drum for UK products and working to break down market access barriers.
“For example, many of the 700 cheeses we produce are household names overseas. Dairy Crest’s Cathedral City now sells a quarter of a million packets a year to France.
“As diets become westernised and the middle classes grow, demand for quality dairy products has never been higher.
“The UK has an excellent reputation for traceability and production standards, which puts our industry at an advantage, particularly in markets like China that have suffered food scares.
“Mackie’s Ice Cream is produced on-farm in Aberdeenshire, but you can now buy it in Dubai, Singapore and South Korea.
“These examples show that opportunities lie in adding value to quality raw material and selling innovative products in growing markets.
“That is why we developed a joint industry and Government Exports Action Plan in 2012. It has been updated to reflect government and industry’s ambitious commitment to increase exports even further.”