Scottish farm sends 56,000 litres of milk to England and Wales

Food and milk producers in England and Wales have come under increasing pressure from extreme heat and drought, with Scottish producers stepping in to fill the gaps.

The UK experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, with five intense heatwaves alongside historic dry spells that triggered widespread drought declarations and hosepipe bans across much of the nation.

(Image: Supplied)

Thanks to the weather, farmers in England and Wales have seen poor grazing conditions, stunted harvests, and heat strain on livestock.

As a result, Mauchline's Mossgiel Organic Dairy said it has seen a "quite dramatic" increase in demand for organic milk from businesses south of the border.

Founder Bryce Cunningham said he received three calls from businesses asking what milk his company could supply for the following week within the space of around 10 minutes.

Mr Cunningham said the level of interest was unprecedented for the farm and demonstrated how quickly the market had tightened, with businesses now looking further afield to secure supplies.

"The drought has caused serious supply issues across the dairy industry," Mr Cunningham said.

"Organic milk is generally quite difficult to get at this time of year anyway, but the drought has amplified that."

As of September 11, Mossgiel Organic Dairy has sent approximately 56,000 litres of Scottish organic milk — or approximately two large milk tankers — south of the border to bolster supplies.

The company was asked to supply a further 40,000 litres, which it did not have available.

"In the dairy industry, (56,000 litres of milk) is relatively small beans, but in organics, it's quite substantial," he said.

"We're obviously pleased to be able to help out, but it just shows you a sign of the times, you know, and how impactful this weather event has been."

While Mossgiel has experienced some heat stress among its cows, Mr Cunningham said Scottish producers have largely avoided the worst effects of the weather this year.

But he said there's a "real concern" because these pressures ultimately affect farmers and food producers everywhere.

"The bigger worry for us all is that if this happens once in ten years, then that's a hard thing to take, but you can recover from it," he said.

"But what happens if this is the new normal? Is climate change hitting us quicker than we thought? We are in the middle of summer and we can't graze animals and we can't grow food because it's too dry and too hot. So that's a big worry that we've got for the future."