Dairy UK is calling for dairy processing to be recognised as critical national infrastructure in Britain, as it launches a new white paper setting out the sector’s importance to the UK’s food supply, economy and resilience.

Launched at the Dairy UK Annual Dinner on 23 September, “Securing the UK’s Dairy Future: The Strategic Role of Dairy Processing in UK Food Security, Sustainability and Growth” makes the case for greater recognition of the essential role processing plays within the dairy value chain.

Dairy is one of the UK’s largest agricultural sectors and dairy processing is the vital link between farms and the millions of consumers who rely on dairy products every day. Dairy UK members collect and process around 15 billion litres of milk each year, transforming a highly perishable raw material into the safe, nutritious and tasty products enjoyed in the UK and exported around the world.

The white paper argues that this processing capacity should not be taken for granted, with raw milk not able to be practically stockpiled and requiring rapid and uninterrupted collection and processing. The entire sector depends on this continuous-flow system in which farms, processors, logistics, energy infrastructure and customers are closely interconnected.

A successful and resilient processing sector requires significant and sustained capital investment in modern manufacturing capacity, energy systems, food safety, technology and decarbonisation. Both UK and internationally owned businesses have invested substantially in the UK’s dairy processing base. Dairy UK is therefore calling for a stable, predictable and competitive policy environment that gives all businesses the confidence to continue investing for the long term.

Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, says, “Dairy processing is an integral part of British agriculture and an essential part of the infrastructure that turns the milk produced on our farms into food for millions of people every day. Our message is a simple one: every part of the dairy value chain matters. Farmers need strong and resilient processors, processors need strong and resilient farmers, and the country depends on both.

“Dairy processors have invested significantly in the UK – in their sites, their people, new technology and sustainability – and we need a policy environment that gives businesses the confidence to keep investing for the future.

“The UK already recognise that sectors such as energy are so important to everyday life and national resilience that they need to be considered strategically. Dairy processing should be viewed in the same way within governmental and policy discussions. Its contribution to food and nutritional security, jobs, rural economies and the wider UK economy makes it an essential part of our national infrastructure.”

Visit for more information: www.dairyuk.org/white-paper-2026