Your Milkman, is a click away.

The milkman is in the heart of your community, rain or shine. However, the number of dairy farmers in the UK has halved, over the last 15 years. Supermarkets sell milk as a loss leader to get customers into their stores, and pay less for milk than the cost of milk production.

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Photographer: Mark Johnson

"Cadbury's Dairy Milk" use with about 170 million litres of British Milk each year. They pay above the UK market rate for their milk and also carry a Fair Trade label for the cocoa they purchase.

Milk production in the UK follows a seasonal trend, peaking in May, after the calving season. Cows produce milk according to their calving cycle, the weather and the grass. Only half of the 13 billion litres/year of milk produced in the UK is turned into liquid milk. The other half is used for dairy products, such as cheese, butter, yoghurt and cream.

Milk is distinguishable by it's fat content. Whole/full fat milk contains 3.5% fat, semi-skimmed milk contains 1.7% fat and skimmed milk contains 0.1% to 0.3% fat. Lowering the fat content in your milk intake does not  effect the calcium content, but low fat contains less energy. Milk also contains vitamins and minerals that are essential to healthy bones and teeth. Cutting milk, due to lactose intolerance is common, but researchers report that many individuals who think they are milk intolerant, actually are not. Some dairy products such as yoghurts and cheese have naturally lower lactose content than milk. Some milk products such as chocolate milk may be better than plain milk. Several lactose reduced dairy foods are also now available to the consumer.

Cows produce up to 600 litres of methane gas each day, which gets expelled into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to 1% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. So ways of feeding cows are being deployed to cut these cow emissions. Research suggests that methane emissions can be cut by at least 20% and that cow slurry can be used to generate heat and power by brewing the slurry to power turbines. This process of renewable energy turns out a nitrogen rich dry matter, which is an ideal fertiliser.

To reduce the environmental footprint of dairy products, one supermarket chain has installed night blinds on their fridges, which cuts energy by 70%. Attaching a weir guard to the lower edge of the fridge, can also keep more cool air in it for longer.

To promote the industry, relationships between farmers, milk buyers and retailers are key for everyone in the supply chain. Dairy products can now be ordered online from your local milkman. They can also deliver speciality milks, smoothies, eggs, cream, yoghurts, butter and cheese. By buying products such as desserts, yoghurts, ice cream, custards, condensed milk and milk powders that are made in the UK (ie.not manufactured abroad), you will also be helping our dairy farmers.