A MILK price cut announced two days before Christmas has been described by the National Farmers Union as "devastating" for dairy farmers.

Home to some of the UK's top brands, global dairy company Arla Foods announced on December 23 that its price would reduce by 2.5 Euro cents per kilo in Europe, equating to a cut of 2.03 pence per litre from January 1, taking the standard litre to 24.81p.

With key players like Arla setting the trend for other processors, dairy farmers are now bracing themselves for a similar drop in income.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.