UK powdered milk mountain: 8,000 tons held in store

Britain's 8,000 tonnes is a small part on the EU's total of 400,000 tonnes of milk powder bought to support the market when prices are low - Copyright ©Heathcliff O'Malley , All Rights Reserved, not to be published in any format without p

The Government is sitting on a mountain of 8,000 tons of powdered milk, bought under the EU’s Common ­Agricultural Policy (CAP) to prop up prices in a market glut – and nobody knows what to do with it after Brexit.

It is a drop in the ocean as EU governments overall have almost 400,000 tons, but peers fear that there could be other stockpiles of other produce, which was bought up under the policy and intended to be sold at a time of higher prices.

When the UK leaves the CAP it will need to decide how to use these stocks.

“We were extremely surprised to learn that the UK holds such a vast quantity of skimmed milk powder and that there is no clear plan from the Government on how it will sell it on after Brexit,” said Lord Teverson, chairman of the parliamentary EU energy and environment sub-committee.

“The Government needs to have a clear agreement in place with the EU for how it will deal with this, and any other products that may also be held in stores,” he said.

He has written to Defra minister George Eustice for answers on the other products and the plans for the ­future of the supplies.