As in many other parts of the developed world, dairying in the UK has undergone a radical restructuring over the past 40 years. Total cow numbers have reduced, as have the number of producers, whilst cow yields have increased. In England and Wales there are approximately 10,500 producers milking 1.8 million dairy cows producing on average 7,600 litres of milk per year. From a level in excess of 600,000 cells/mL in the late 1960s, bulk milk somatic cell counts in milk sold off-farm have now, in 2013, fallen to an all-time low and are currently running below 200,000 cells/mL.
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