The States has approved increasing financial support for Guernsey’s dairy farmers.
The Committee for Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) brought forward the proposals to increase the dairy farm support scheme budget from about £1m to £2.35m by 2026.
The proposals include undertaking a full review of the industry before 2030.
Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of E&I, said while the dairy industry plays a “vital role” in the island’s cultural heritage and environment, it has been “underfunded for many years”.
She added: “We’re very stingy with our support for farmers compared to other jurisdictions, and it’s clear that if we don’t act now, our dairy industry faces irreparable decline.”
The Guernsey Farmers Association, which represents the island’s 11 dairy farms, said payments decreased from about £2m in 2014 to their current level by 2019.
The wholesale price of milk increased by 4.4% in January 2025.
Before the decision, the association’s president Michael Braye had said the current funding situation “clearly [could] not continue without a collapse of the island’s dairy”.
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