RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has argued for a “fair deal” for dairy farmers, in the face of a new price war between supermarkets.

Mr Evans said dairy farmers are facing a bigger challenge, with milk quotas being removed by the EU.

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He said, “In the past decade over half of Britain’s dairy farmers have gone out of business. We will soon reach a stage where dairy farming is not a viable profession in the UK, which would be a tragedy.

“The Groceries’ Regulator needs to do more to encourage supermarkets to start a price war on milk. In some supermarkets buying milk is now cheaper than mineral water, a ridiculous situation.

“The Ribble Valley’s economy has a large agricultural sector, of which dairy farming plays an important part. Farmers need to be backed by central government and given adequate protection by the regulator. This matters to farmers from Slaidburn to Suffolk, Clitheroe to Cornwall.”