The price of a pint of milk at UK supermarkets could rise by up to 50% due to the cost of living crisis, it has been claimed.
As inflation continues to make its impact felt across the nation and after industry bosses have told of their fear that surging costs from feed, fertiliser, and fuel will cause an increase in dairy prices that have not been seen in decades, it’s been reported that the cost of a pint of milk could rise by 50% and butter by 30%, as reported by The Telegraph.
The average cost of four pints of milk will rise from around £1.15, to anywhere between £1.60 and £1.70, according to the UK’s leading adviser to dairy farmers Kite Consulting.
A typical pack of butter could also increase from £1.55 to more than £2.
The news of these price increases are said to have come as dairy farmers flew into Brussels last week for crisis talks over soaring costs and supply chain disruption, and are also said to have been affected by the conflict Ukraine.
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Speaking on the price rises, Michael Oakes – the dairy board chair of the National Farmers’ Union, who is also a farmer – told the The Telegraph: “I was paying about £7,000 for an artic [articulated lorry] load of fertiliser, and this year it’s £28,000.
Surging costs from feed, fertiliser, and fuel will cause an increase in dairy prices not been seen in decades / Credit: Jakob Cotton (via Unsplash)
“It would have been a little bit less before Ukraine happened, but it made another big jump because we’d already seen higher gas prices, which have implications for fertiliser costs.”
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“It hasn’t been a particularly good time for dairy farms over the last few years,” he added.
UK dairy industry bosses have raised concerns over their costs to the Government, but officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are said to be merely in “listening mode”, the Telegraph said.
The dairy industry is likely to pass on higher costs from the Ukraine crisis disrupting fuel, fertiliser and feed prices – with both farmers and processors squeezed.
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Andrew Kuyk – director general of the Provision Trade Federation – added: “Everything is going in the wrong direction at the same time. The direction of travel is bad and the strength of the price increases is stronger than most people will have known in recent times because this is all pretty unprecedented.”
Sharing an official update online, the RFL wrote: “Wane, who has led England since February 2020, has taken time to reflect on the programme and believes the timing is right for new leadership to guide the team into the next phase, including the upcoming World Cup.
“During his tenure, Wane oversaw memorable series victories over Tonga in 2023 and a star-studded Samoa a year later, as well as a semi-final in the World Cup. He finishes with 14 wins from 19 matches.”
Crediting him as one of “a very small elite number of coaches to have won the full suite of domestic club honours and achieved World Club Championship success”, hailing his experience and longevity both as a player and as a coach.
As for Wane himself, he said: “It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection, I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the programme to move forward into its next chapter.
England are on the lookout for a new coach heading into the World Cup after being swept in the Ashes.
Coach Shaun Wane has reportedly resigned from the post after a disappointing 3-0 whitewash against Australia last year.
The 61-year-old ex-pro goes on to add, “The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes Series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory.
“I’m incredibly grateful to all the players, coaches and staff I’ve worked alongside during that time; their commitment and professionalism made those moments possible. I wish everyone involved with England Rugby League the best going forward and for the World Cup later this year.”
According to the latest reports online, St Helens boss Paul Rowley is now said to be the favourite to take over in the interim.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is still months away (scheduled to take place in October and November), but the governing body will want to get the new setup and coaching in place as soon as possible to prepare for the tournament.
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th April 2022 
