20th World Milk Day

That the Parliament recognises the 20th World Milk Day on 1 June 2021, which is an annual worldwide celebration of milk and dairy; acknowledges the sustainability of milk and dairy, including what it sees as its important role in the environment, nutrition and socioeconomics; notes that the awareness day was established by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to highlight the importance of milk and dairy as a global food; believes that the dairy industry now supports the livelihoods of a billion people; is concerned at reports that the gap between the lowest and highest paid dairy farmers is now very significant and shows no signs of narrowing; notes that dairy herd figures for Scotland, which were released in January 2021 by the Scottish Dairy Cattle Association, highlighted a decrease in cow numbers and dairy herds, with a net loss of 36 herds and 2,152 fewer cows compared to the previous year, but understands that the consumption figures for milk and dairy products remain encouraging, with greater availability in nurseries and schools, which it believes will help attract the consumers of the future.