Scottish dairy sends 56,000 litres of milk to England
An organic dairy in Ayrshire has sent roughly 56,000 litres of Scottish milk to England since demand increased among businesses affected by difficult growing conditions. Mossgiel Organic Dairy said the volume, equivalent to about two large tanker loads, had been delivered by September 11.
The company’s founder, Bryce Cunningham, said he received three enquiries within approximately ten minutes about supplies for the following week. He described the level of interest as unprecedented for the farm and said the business had been unable to fulfil a request for another 40,000 litres.
England and Wales have experienced poor pasture, reduced harvests and heat-related stress among livestock during a summer marked by drought. The United Kingdom recorded its hottest summer on record in 2026, with five severe heatwaves, prolonged dry periods, drought declarations and hosepipe restrictions in many areas.
“The drought has caused serious supply issues across the dairy industry,” Mr Cunningham said. He added that organic milk was already difficult to source at that time of year and that the dry conditions had intensified the shortage. He described the quantity shipped as modest for the dairy sector but significant in the organic market.
Data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board showed that daily UK milk collections were running at about 1.24m litres, or 3.7%, below the level recorded during the corresponding week of 2025. Mossgiel had seen some heat stress among its Ayrshire cows, although Mr Cunningham said Scottish producers had generally avoided the most severe effects experienced elsewhere.
He said the pressure was affecting farmers and food producers across the country. “We can’t graze animals and we can’t grow food because it’s too dry and too hot,” he said, while raising concerns about the consequences if such conditions recurred frequently.
Other food producers in Scotland have reported stronger conditions than growers farther south. Angus Morrison, founder of Lost Orchards, said fruit production in Scotland had produced a bumper crop, while heat and drought had caused severe damage to orchard crops in southern England. Scottish cider producers were monitoring the situation as English apple growers faced increasingly difficult conditions.
Mr Morrison said the contrast was affecting where food could be grown and how companies sourced supplies. He said English apple growers had extensive experience, but were still having to manage conditions that had become harder to control. He added that whether the pattern represented a long-term climate trend remained uncertain, while changing conditions were benefiting fruit production in Scotland and some other areas more than in southern England and parts of Europe.
