UFU rebuffs claim that 45,000 dairy cattle could be culled in no-deal Brexit

He said: “At this point in time, we are not even talking about a large cull of animals and we do not anticipate we will get to this point.

“In the event of no deal, the dairy industry will find ways to cope if there is a surplus of milk, although it is not likely to be straightforward and we would expect disruption.

“Possibly there is capacity in our local processing sector to absorb any extra milk, or we may be able to send it to Great Britain.

“There will be other options and it is irresponsible to jump straight to culling cows as a solution.”

Support

Mr Ferguson also and called for Government to support the farming sector as the UK leaves the EU.

“Reciprocal tariffs and deficiency payments to farm businesses to help address farmgate price collapse are starting points, and at the moment, the most reasonable options,” he said.

“However, we continue to actively lobby politicians and the Government so they understand the seriousness of a no-deal situation and the importance of avoiding it.”