BRITISH dairy farmers need urgent help from the EU, the UK's Environment Secretary has said.

Speaking ahead of next month’s extraordinary meeting of Agriculture ministers in Brussels, Liz Truss called for EU-wide measures to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

The meeting was called to discuss the current difficulties facing the farming sector.

It comes amid a direct action campaign which has seen UK diary farmers, including Scottish producers, mass-buying milk and dumping it at supermarket checkouts or giving to to food banks in protest at milk price cuts which they say are driving them out of business.

Ms Truss said she will seek urgent action from EU Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, when ministers meet at the Agriculture Council on Monday September 7.

She said: “I recognise the seriousness of the current situation for the dairy industry caused by global volatility and surplus of milk across the world.

“We are entering a post-quota world and I stressed to Commissioner Hogan the importance of the EU introducing the right measures to help dairy farmers through this turbulent time and ensure the industry is sustainable.

“I want to see the Commission accelerate measures to help with the immediate problem. An EU-wide futures market for dairy would also provide greater certainty over prices in the same way we have for cereals, and the Commission should take a lead in delivering this."

She said that she would also press for measures to help farmers struggling with low prices and cashflow and increased transparency in the dairy supply chain across Europe.

Ms Truss added that she would additionally push for better country-of-origin labelling for dairy products "so consumers know when they are buying British".